TERA: New class “Shinobi” revealed – everything revolves around the Elin in 2016

The Korean version of TERA will soon welcome new content: Elin Ninjas called “Shinobi” are joining the fight.

The cutest ninjas in the world

The number of classes in TERA is set to grow once again, as Nexon has now revealed the latest addition: the Shinobi. According to the video (and previous information), this will be a class exclusively for the Elin, who have obviously dedicated themselves to the path of ninjas.

The Shinobi wields an oversized shuriken that can be thrown at enemies and can also deal devastating damage in close combat. Numerous effects indicate that explosions are also part of the Shinobi’s repertoire. This little trailer gives a first impression of the gameplay.

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The Shinobi will first appear in the Korean version of the game. It will likely take a while before the Ninja Elin make their way to us. We will keep you updated and inform you as soon as there is a release date for the European version of the game.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. mmorpg.com

Heroes of the Storm: Arena-Modus nach Fan-Feedback auf ungewisse Zeit verschoben

The new game mode “Arena” for Heroes of the Storm has been postponed. The feedback at BlizzCon is the reason for this.

A Winter Without Arena

It was proudly presented at BlizzCon, the new game mode “Arena”, which fans should be able to experience in the live version of the game in the “near future”. However, good things take time and Blizzard took the feedback from the event attendees to heart, leading to the postponement of the Arena mode.

Hots Arena title illidan
The arena is still on the way – at least until spring.

Unlike the regular game mode, the Arena is about short, brutal battles. Especially newcomers should feel comfortable here, as it is not necessary to gather experience points or select talents – only the heroic ability can be determined.

In response to a fan’s question about whether the Arena mode would still be released in the first quarter of 2016, they apologized and confirmed that it would take “longer”. There was no exact date or even an estimate provided.

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For more information about the game, you can find it on our Heroes of the Storm topic page.

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Source(s):
  1. heroesnexus.com

The Elder Scrolls Online: Wo steht TESO Anfang 2016?

The fantasy MMORPG The Elder Scrolls Online has had a tumultuous year, and 2016 brings new opportunities and challenges. We take a closer look at TESO (PC, PS4, Xbox One) in a State-of-Play Special.

Where did TESO stand at the beginning of last year?

The Elder Scrolls Online was at a crossroads a year ago. At that time, we asked “A reboot on consoles or will TESO ultimately flop?”

Now we know: It was a reboot on the consoles. The flop that it could have become in 2014 is now nowhere to be seen. Matt Firor, the head of TESO, beamed like a Cheshire cat as he spoke at Quakecon about the sales figures of The Elder Scrolls Online on Playstation 4 and Xbox One.

The one-year delay of the console port had no negative impact. Players on Xbox One and Playstation 4 were thrilled to “finally get a real MMORPG” and one that played great on consoles with a strong interface.

This paid off since TESO was developed with the console port in mind from the beginning. Most of the “rough” problems of the game with bugs and phasing that plagued TESO at its PC launch were fixed. The release phase on consoles was a great success. Most structural problems of the MMORPG were noted by players only after many hours of play.

TESO-Versteck

Success came at a high price in 2015

However: Success came at a high price. For TESO, there was hardly any development in 2015. After the PC launch, the developers announced a transformation at Quakecon 2014 and later invited to a “Guild Summit”. Huge change plans were presented on how TESO should once be: a fantastic MMORPG in the world of Tamriel with new game systems and ideas.

In 2014, work began on implementing these ideas. Every 6 weeks, a new patch came out, the game noticeably grew, and progress was made. Of course, new problems constantly arose – after each update, which came with huge patch notes, hotfixes and changes were needed to extinguish the hotspots.

By 2015, nothing of that rapid development pace was noticeable. Early in the year, it became clear: We can’t change so many systems anymore, it’s going to slow down significantly. We are making the Buy2Play transition, coming to consoles, and afterwards, people want DLCs. That’s what we need to focus on now.

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The goal: As long as we have a solid, functioning game when we come to consoles. Instead of fully developing systems, “small solutions”, stopgap measures, and interim ideas were favored. They worked “somehow”, but created massive long-term problems for developers and frustrated players.

The systems do not scale properly, twinking becomes a nightmare, or something is simply missing.

On the next page, we will take a closer look at the issues TESO currently has.

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Guild Wars 2: Bannhammer schlägt zu

In Guild Wars 2, a YouTuber was banned – he used a so-called map hack.

Evil people don’t know any songs …

The banning hammer has struck once again. This time, two YouTubers were caught in Guild Wars 2. The duo Suck at Love was known for its numerous music videos related to Guild Wars 2, but they violated the game’s terms of service.

They were accused of using a map hack to navigate through the world. Initially, they tried to assert their innocence in another video. They seemed to want to exert some pressure on ArenaNet with their popularity. But it backfired…

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Gaile Gray from ArenaNet commented on the ban because some fans wanted to know what exactly had happened. It says in the forum:

“Customer support carefully evaluated the available data that led to the account’s suspension. They confirmed that the account visited 29 different locations on the map in under 60 seconds. This is not possible without the use of third-party programs, which is explicitly prohibited in our terms of service. For these reasons, the account suspension will not be lifted.”

The YouTuber duo subsequently set their video to private, taking it offline, as the evidence was presumably overwhelming.

Suck at Love announced that they will not produce any further music videos for Guild Wars 2 – not surprisingly, as they would need to acquire new accounts first.


ArenaNet is known for dealing harshly with people who cheat in their game. When they publicly humiliated someone in May 2015 and made them “die a virtual death,” it sparked a media discussion:

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. massivelyop.com

ARK: Massiver Nerf schwächt Dinos um über 50%!

The latest patch of ARK: Survival Evolved is taking a toll on tamed dinos – they are losing a significant amount of combat power!

A Second Ice Age

Players of ARK: Survival Evolved were quite surprised when they checked in on the game in recent days. Unfortunately, it was a negative surprise. Many dinosaurs that had been tamed by characters have lost a large portion of their strength. This is due to a new hotfix. It has revised the values of almost all creatures, and although there are some minor buffs in the stats, the fundamental change can be summed up in one sentence: Tamed creatures deal less than 50% of their original damage.

The outcry in the forums was relatively large, as many players suddenly felt cheated out of their power. This is particularly frustrating in cases where you send your built-up T-Rex, which you raised for days, against a herd of Stegosauruses, only to find that your dino is suddenly helplessly overmatched.

Farming is also now slower, making Ark significantly more grindy than before the nerf.

Ark-T-Rex
Tamed dinos are now significantly weaker than before.

The developers have provided a relatively extensive statement regarding this:

“Early in the development, we had a misunderstanding about how the values of players and creatures should scale, and over time we figured out what went wrong and how it went wrong – we had to come up with a solution. (…)

Our first step was to adjust the values of the dinosaurs in one go, retroactively. We wanted to weaken tamed creatures compared to wild creatures to avoid absurd situations where a raptor could single-handedly defeat 10 brontosauruses without any problem. At the same time, we wanted to ensure that tamed-versus-tamed battles approximately run the same as before.”

Ark Survival MMO

Mein-MMO says: Although the nerf is definitely harsh and it probably wasn’t the smartest decision by the developers to make such a change without prior notice, one must not forget that ARK is still in Early Access. Therefore, it is only understandable that the developers occasionally take drastic steps to adjust the balance as it was intended. A bit more openness in communication could have helped to keep complaints in check.


For more information about the game, you can visit our ARK: Survival Evolved topic page.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. steamed.kotaku.com

Diablo 3: When is the new patch 2.4 coming for PS4, XBox One, and PC? What’s included?

In the hack and slash Diablo 3 the new patch 2.4. is just around the corner. When will it be available for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One? And what’s in it?

The patch 2.4. for Diablo 3 doesn’t have an official date yet, but it’s generally assumed that patch 2.4. will go live on Wednesday, January 13th. The developers have said: It will definitely be live before Season 5. So you know: Wednesday is patch day for Blizzard games. Nothing has happened this week. And Season 5 starts on January 15th. So it must be around January 13th.

The patch will also be released for Xbox One and PlayStation 4 simultaneously with the PC version, even though the consoles won’t receive a season.

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We have reported several times about the content of 2.4.:

Blizzard has now elaborated in a blog, which is also available in German, what you can expect with 2.4.  Here is the German blog post with the 2.4 content for Diablo 3.

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Destiny: Today there are gifts, chance for exclusive emblem [Update: Light particles, strange coins are here]

In the MMO shooter Destiny , the Christmas gifts should arrive today. Additionally, the chance to qualify for an emblem starts – and the exotic quest for the Sleeper Simulant is also available.

In Destiny, Christmas is celebrated with a 2-week delay. Throughout the day, Guardians should receive a package containing 15 Light particles and 15 Strange coins.

Gifts

Update: Yes, around 19:20, the gifts should have started arriving for some people. They come via the Post-Master; it’s a whole bunch of packages – 10 pieces come as letters from an unknown benefactor. Each package contains 3 Light particles or 3 Strange coins. Bungie is spamming quite a bit.

You have until 17.2.2016 to collect your gifts. There is one set of rewards per account.

http://youtu.be/IqgxM_YeM8I

Bungie also sent a rather strange message via Twitter: A new year has begun – Come, celebrate with us over the weekend to earn rewards. This refers, as we now know, to the emblem. It is called “Rising Light.” in English. To obtain it, you need to complete an activity as described below.

You only have 4 days to qualify for this emblem

Important: From today on, there is the opportunity to qualify for a “Surprise Emblem”. The chance only exists until January 10. This will be an exclusive emblem – it probably won’t be available afterward.

To get your hands on the emblem, you need to log in and play in Destiny between January 7 and January 10. You must complete an activity so Bungie can see that you’ve been active. What the emblem looks like or what it’s called is still unknown. The emblem itself is slated to be available on January 12.

Update: It is now known what the emblem looks like. It can be seen in this email.

Destiny Emblem

Today’s daily quest has nothing to do with Christmas: The First Firewall is back. At the end of the quest line, the Sleeper Simulant awaits. We have detailed how First Firewall works in this article for you.

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Bless: Neuer Trailer ist da, nächste Woche gibt’s Infos zur Open Beta

In the fantasy MMORPG Bless , a new cinematic trailer was shown in Korea. On January 15, details about the Open Beta will be revealed.

Actually, a Bless hype should have emerged in 2015. The chess pieces were already in position, and Hans Zimmer was brought in for the soundtrack and promoted. However, the third Closed Beta, where a Korean MMORPG was supposed to shine, fell short of expectations.

Therefore, the Open Beta has been delayed again. In the coming weeks on January 15, details will be provided about when it will start and how the game has been changed.

In advance of the event, a new trailer for Bless has been released. You can watch it here.

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By the way, there is nothing to hear from English servers or a Western release. The Asia experts from mmoculture also doubt that anything is happening. Bless takes place, for Asians, in a fantasy version of medieval Europe. We Germans appear as an “exotic race” there.

At mmoculture, they believe in a summer release of Bless in South Korea, then it could move to China and Taiwan in winter.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. mmoculture

VR gaming is getting expensive – Oculus Rift costs 741€ according to developers, “outrageously cheap”

The official price of the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset has been set and has caused quite a backlash among the gamer community.

The company Oculus VR is pricing the headset at 599 US dollars. Converted to euros and including shipping costs, customs duties, and taxes, the price is nearly 750 euros! That is a hefty sum that no one probably expected. Especially since it was stated by the manufacturers a few months ago that one should expect a price of more than 350 dollars.

While they were correct, there is a significant difference between 350 dollars and 599 dollars, or 741 euros! One might have thought that they should have stayed a bit closer to the actual price to mitigate the current criticism. Oculus Rift is expected to hit the market in early April.

Oculus Rift
This is what Rift looks like with the Oculus headset, of course in 3D…

An expensive hobby

It must be said that hobbies can be expensive. This applies to any hobby. If someone buys a new, current smartphone every two years, they probably spend around 700 euros each time. If someone enjoys cycling, they might also buy a bike that costs a few thousand euros. Hobbies are expensive, and everyone has to know for themselves what they are willing to spend on them. However, the high price of the Oculus Rift could lead to the success of VR gaming only gradually establishing itself. Because for many gamers, nearly 750 euros is certainly too much money.

The head of Oculus Rift, Palmer Luckey, once said the same. In an interview from 2013, he mentioned that gamers are not necessarily a wealthy group. If something costs $600, it can be as great as it wants. For many, it simply cannot exist.

Now it sounds quite different. $600 is absurdly cheap for what the hardware delivers.

Especially the fact that we in Europe are paying even more than Americans annoys many, like the YouTuber TotalBiscuit. Palmer’s defense: These are the taxes that apply in Europe; there’s nothing we can do about it.

Will HTC’s Vive be cheaper? Is Sony the big winner?

If you are now hoping that HTC and Valve will announce a significantly lower price for the Vive headset, you shouldn’t have too many hopes. Because HTC is certainly going to align itself with the price of the Oculus Rift. Moreover, the company has already stated beforehand that one should expect a “premium price.” VR gaming is – at least in its initial stages – still a rather expensive affair.

Some market observers believe that the big winner of the last hour could be Sony. They might target a mass market with their virtual reality solution and set the price lower.

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Hearthstone: More Explorer League Cards in the Arena

A small hotfix ensures that players of Hearthstone can now draw cards from “The League of Explorers” more often in the Arena.

More of the New

With the release of new expansions, it is becoming increasingly difficult to hope for specific cards in the Arena mode of Hearthstone. It is particularly frustrating that Arena fans enjoy only a limited amount of the fresh expansions and therefore many cards from “The League of Explorers” may never be seen.

For this reason, Blizzard has now increased the chance by 50% with which fresh cards can be drawn in the Arena in a hotfix. Those who build a deck in the future should see the new cards much more often.

The Arena is still considered completely random by many players, but this is generally not true, as the current hotfix proves. Other cards are also not completely random; the “Discover” effect on many cards has a significantly higher chance of revealing class cards than neutral cards. It was recently disclosed that the distribution of legendary cards from packs also does not occur completely randomly, but grants players a pity card if they have been unsuccessful for a long time.


For more information about the game, visit our Hearthstone topic page.

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Source(s):
  1. hearthpwn.com

LoL: Spirit of the Virtuoso – Riot reveals the new champion in a teaser

In Lol (League of Legends) the new champion is announced with a mysterious teaser – Spirit of the Virtuoso. Possible names circulating are Jhin and Deadeye.

In a new video, developer RiotGames shows what the new champion looks like, who has been hinted at in pieces for the past few weeks piece for piece a. Now we know what was hidden behind the mysterious images of champions: They were pictures of murder victims who died a beautiful death.

Due to the recent teasers, there has been increasing speculation that the champion is a sniper. In the video, among other things, you can see a weapon and champions of League of Legends dying from a headshot.

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“I will make you beautiful, I will make you perfect”, suggests that the killer is focused on perfecting his victims at the moment of death. Because you can see that these are not “normal” murders, but special/beautiful “acts” that the champion performs, who strongly resembles Handsome Jack from Borderlands.

Whether the fans’ speculations are correct and the new champ in LoL will really be called “Jhin” or “Deadeye” is still unknown at the moment. There are many indications.

On the test server, a new test version was released today, but the champ was not included. On reddit, one of the developers, RiotGypsy, states: “He is almost finished.”

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Blade & Soul: Alle Infos zum Release – Ihr braucht einen neuen Client!

In a few days, Blade & Soul will also launch in Europe, and we have all the information players need for a smooth release.

Prevention is better than cure

On January 19, it is finally time, and the long-awaited MMORPG Blade & Soul will be available for us players in the West. To ensure that players can smoothly transition from the beta phase to early access and then to launch, a dedicated website has now been launched to prepare for all eventualities. We have summarized the most important points for you so that nothing stands in the way of a gaming week.

The German Servers

In Europe, Blade & Soul will have a few more servers than in America, mainly due to the different languages, as the Germans and the French still want their “extra sausage”/”extra croissant.” The following German servers will be available, so coordinate well with your friends to avoid anyone ending up alone:

  • Frostgipfel
  • Bambusdorf
  • Windweide

Blade and Soul Nightblade 1
New Client and Name Reservation

Especially for beta players, it is important that the previous client will not be compatible with the live version. It will be necessary to uninstall the old client and download a new version. Logically, it won’t be playable until the release or early access. However, those who purchased a student or master package can already use character creation to secure a (or two) names.

Name reservation in Europe begins on January 11 at 7:00 PM.

The Starting Signal

Early access for all purchasers of founder packs begins on January 15 at 7 PM. Regular players can enter the MMO for the first time starting on January 19 at 6:00 AM. Thus, head starters have more than 3 full days to gain a significant advantage.

New Customization Options

Finally, the developers have a special treat for fans, offering a range of new character customizations in the form of new hairstyles, hair colors, facial features, and skin tones.

Blade and Soul new Customisations

You can find more information about the game on our Blade & Soul theme page.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

Aion hat Termine für Serverzusammenlegung, Patch 4.9 und Patch 5.0 in Europa

The free-to-play MMORPG Aion now has a date for the server merge in Europe.

For games that are a bit older, there comes a time when the servers need to be merged. This is always a huge deal that takes months to unfold. Even with Aion, which is under the direction of Gameforge, this has been a topic for a long time – we reported on it in May 2015. Now Gameforge has announced a date: February 3, 2016, is when it will happen.

How this will work with the merge, how conflicts will be resolved if, for example, characters from different factions are on the resulting new server, and so on, you can read in Gameforge’s explanation itself. There is a FAQ in German regarding the server merge and possible compensation if players face disadvantages.

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When will Aion Europe receive the patches 4.9 and 5.0?

The hopes of the fans that the Steam release of Aion will bring in so many new players to the free-to-play game that the merge is postponed, have been dismissed. Apparently, no massive influx of players has occurred.

Until February, little will happen in Aion besides the server merge and patch 4.9. The European version of Aion is waiting for the “big patch 5.0“, which was released in Korea in November.

Patches-Aion4.9

The schedule for Europe is that 4.9 is to be released on February 24. 5.0 is still quite vague, it is supposed to come “in summer 2016”. This is the latest update from mid-December, the 5th Ask Aion video.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

Firefall: Geschenke an Spieler, obwohl Angestellte nicht bezahlt wurden

This must be weighing heavily on the stomachs of the developers of the online shooter Firefall and the fans: The CEO of The9 awards packages worth over 1.5 million dollars to Chinese players.

The9 is the Chinese company that bought the development studio Red 5 – mainly to bring the online shooter Firefall to market in China. Rumors surfaced at the end of last year that The9 had allegedly not been paying the employees at Red 5, all were waiting for their last paycheck. There were also some layoffs and a generally quite toxic work atmosphere, especially since the China launch of Firefall, which held many hopes, likely fell short of expectations.

It’s likely to meet with rather much incomprehension that the CEO of The9 distributed so-called “Red Envelope” packages to Chinese players at the launch of the open beta of the game. These had a total value of 1.53 million US dollars.

In China, “red envelopes” traditionally contain money gifts for the New Year.

Firefall Group Dungeon
The situation at Firefall has reportedly relaxed again

Now one might say that in-game items don’t cost a company much, but they aren’t free either. Moreover, the players who received these packages no longer need to purchase them in-game, which could lead to corresponding revenue losses for the company. Revenue that could have been used to adequately pay the employees.

Allegedly their salaries have now been paid, and according to a statement from Red 5, work continues diligently on content updates for Firefall. The US/EU version is also expected to be supplied with content.

The distribution of the gift packages serves, of course, promotional purposes, as The9 hopes to build a loyal fan base that is then also willing to spend money in the game. This action shouldn’t be seen entirely negatively. However, it does leave a bad taste, especially since it directly follows the announcement that the employees had not been paid for a period of time.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

SMITE: Hot cinematic for the World Championship

This week, SMITE kicks off the finals of the World Championship. This will be celebrated with a hot, new cinematic.

When the Gods Have Fun

In the free MOBA SMITE, things have been a bit quieter over the holidays, but now the new year 2016 starts strong. Almost traditionally, the final round of the World Championship will take place from January 7 to January 10, where the best teams compete.

Another small tradition is the release of a new cinematic. This year’s version does not have to hide from its predecessor and especially gives Bellona and Loki significantly more character.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mVYnfJS73U

If you want to follow the World Championship, you can do so on the official Twitch stream of Smite, where all games are streamed live.

The finals are also the last opportunity to purchase the various items of the Odyssey. Especially the unique Thor skin will remain permanently unreachable afterwards.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. mmorpg.com

Blizzard: Lawsuit over blatant copying of WoW characters dismissed!

Blizzard suffered a minor setback. A copyright lawsuit regarding the use of certain characters from World of Warcraft was dismissed by the court.

Not clearly formulated enough

In the legal dispute against the Chinese game developer Lillith Games, Blizzard faced a small defeat. The American court dismissed the lawsuit, which accused Lillith Games of using numerous characters in the game “DOTA Legends” that obviously belong to Blizzard’s intellectual property.

Heroes Charge Heroes
So, who do the ladies and gentlemen seem familiar to?

However, there are still concerns regarding Lillith. The dismissal of the lawsuit does not mean that Blizzard is factually in the wrong. Rather, the rejection is based on Blizzard’s insufficient specification of which characters were exactly copied.

A brief look at DOTA Legends suggests that in this case one could have simply written “all,” but that does not comply with current law. It is therefore to be expected that Blizzard will file another lawsuit and this time describe the relevant characters in much more detail so that the request can be addressed.

When Copiers Sue a Copier

Dota Legend

What is particularly amusing (or somewhat bizarre) is the fact that the accused company Lillith is simultaneously involved in a legal dispute with uCool, who simply took the copy and copied it themselves. uCool released the game “Heroes Charge,” which is almost a 1:1 clone of “DOTA Legend” in terms of mechanics and characters.

It will likely take years to sort out this web of accusations and for everyone to get their due. What the verdict will be worth once the large portions of profit have already been distributed remains to be seen.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

The Division: Ähnlich wie Destiny, aber mit einem düsteren Hintergrund

The new MMO shooter The Division has similarities in gameplay to Destiny . However, The Division takes a completely different approach that stems from Tom Clancy’s worldview.

Currently, an interview is circulating in the German gaming press, conducted by a British site with the developers of “The Division”. The reporter noticed during his gaming session how much “The Division” targets Destiny players: The loot system, the shared-world experience, the mix of player-versus-player and player-versus-AI, as well as the downfall of a civilization. All of this is shared by The Division and Destiny. But one thing distinctly sets The Division apart: everything is more serious, darker, and harsher than in Bungie’s successful shooter.

There are hardly any differences between a raid and a clearance sale

Even the IP developer from Massive, Martin Hultberg, supports this thesis: “Our scenario is based on reality. We don’t have aliens, no monsters, no zombies. The Division is rooted in a real threat scenario.” The developer uses the term “A clear and present danger,” the title of a Tom Clancy political thriller. The novel was adapted into a film called “The Cartel” starring Harrison Ford.

The-Division-Untergang

One feels a commitment to Clancy in The Division, not wanting to carry his name in the title just for the sake of the name and advertising impact.

While Destiny’s nebulous backstory revolves around “hope and trust”, The Division takes a cynical view: our society is consuming itself. Capitalism and consumer addiction become the threat that leads to our downfall.

At Massive, they looked at images of actual shopping frenzies on Black Friday and compared them to looting during disasters. There seemed to be little difference. People fought to the blood over a console controller during a special promotion; it was totally insane, says Hultberg.

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That’s why The Division starts on a Black Friday …

Therefore, civilization in The Division also goes under on a Black Friday, the day when Western civilization has celebrated the shopping frenzy like no other day. And our own money becomes the medium of the plague.

For The Division, the aim is to give death significance and that in a medium where dying and starting anew is part of the players’ everyday life.

The Division Screenshot 7

In Destiny, players fight over items, in The Division, survivors fight for resources

The difference that Massive hopes for: In Destiny, players scramble for loot. In The Division, survivors will fight for the last resources. For items they need to survive. That turns humans into beasts.

An example of this “trust no scenario” and “every man for himself” are the Dark Zones, where players can turn from friends to foes in seconds.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. Games TM

The Lord of the Rings Online: EU servers finally move to Amsterdam

In Lord of the Rings Online, it’s finally happening: The new data center in Amsterdam is opening.

It was originally planned for 2015, as part of the server consolidation, but it took longer than expected. Turbine is now putting the new data center in Amsterdam into operation with the new hardware: This means that the European servers will soon be in our relative vicinity.

The whole process comes with 10 hours of maintenance: The servers of Lord of the Rings Online will go offline on January 11th at 11:00 AM. They should be back online by 9:00 PM the same day. Then in their “new home” in Amsterdam. The US servers are moving to New Jersey.

European players expect a better connection from this change. For 2016, Lord of the Rings Online has set ambitious goals, including the first new 12-player raid since October 2012.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. HdRO
  2. mmo-central

LoL: 4 neue Skins und Infos zum Start der neuen Championauswahl

In LoL (League of Legends) it’s finally here – the first patch on the PBE server is here and brings a lot of news.

Among other things, the year 2016 starts on the test servers of League of Legends with new skins for Nidalee, Wukong, Caitlyn, and Morgana. Because the “Winter Joys” will soon come to an end, preparations are underway for the next event.

Challenger Nidalee

LoL PBE Nidalee

This new Nidalee skin is a “legacy skin” and will therefore only be available for a short time in the shop. You can get it for the regular 975 Riot Points in the LoL shop.

Radiant Wukong

LoL Wukong

A luminous monkey king – yes, that’s supposed to exist too. This anime-styled skin will be available for 1350 Riot Points in the shop soon.

Lunar Wraith Caitlyn

LoL Caitlyn

This refers to the woman with pink hair. This new skin for Caitlyn is also a “legacy skin” and will be available for a limited time in the shop. This skin costs 1350 Riot Points.

Lunar Wraith Morgana

LoL Morgana PBE

The sitting woman with purple hair is meant. Although this will also be a legacy skin, you will get it, like Nidalee, for 975 Riot Points in the shop.

According to the name, these skins will be released for the Lunar / Moon Festival event. The Wukong skin is probably offered additionally because 2016 is the “Year of the Monkey” according to Chinese astrology. Additionally, there will be 4 new LoL summoner icons for the event.

When does the new champion selection start?

On Twitter, Jeffrey “RiotLyte” Lin revealed that shortly after patch 6.1 a test will start on the servers for North America and Turkey to see if everything is running stably. After that, the new champion selection for LoL will be activated globally.

And the new champion?

Since nothing about a new champion was mentioned in this PBE cycle this means that the champion can only appear earliest next week. The hype train unfortunately has to make another stop.

“… choo choo …”

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. Surrender at 20

Complaining Wednesday: The Dark Souls Principle

Good Wednesday afternoon everyone. I hope you all found your way into the new year well and didn’t have to worry too much about broken resolutions that became a case for “next year” on January 2nd. Today, I want to complain a bit less and instead talk about an essential aspect of games – the difficulty level.

Between Corpse Runs and LFR

My New Year’s transition was relatively calm as well, and I had the opportunity to meet some people from my online circle whom I rarely see otherwise. Since we are all nerds at heart, many conversations revolved around video games and their development over the years. An (at least for me) exciting discussion arose when a guest struggled with “Bloodborne” on the PlayStation 4. The game is the direct successor to the “Dark Souls” series, which is particularly known for its high difficulty level. As we watched the character in Bloodborne die many times, we wondered what exactly constitutes a “good” difficulty level in games.

Bloodborne Combat Boss

In Bloodborne, every death hurts. The player loses all earned experience points that have not been invested yet and can only reclaim them by reaching the place of their death. If they die on the way again, the experience points are lost for good. Especially in boss fights, there are many deaths, and often it takes several minutes to run back to them. Honestly: Watching was quite monotonous. Quickly, the comparison was made to the other extreme: LFR raids in World of Warcraft. Here, neither experience nor equipment (probably not even a keyboard or screen) is needed to complete the game’s “challenge”.

What is a good difficulty?

Final Fantasy IX Combat
In Final Fantasy IX, you could simply farm a bit if a fight was too difficult.

But what is actually a “suitable” difficulty level? Personally, I like the principle of old JRPGs. If a boss was too difficult, you simply grind a few more experience points until you feel ready for the challenge. While this is a relatively low difficulty level, it still leaves plenty of room for challenges that you can influence yourself. In my view, the Bloodborne principle is rather “cheap” to make a short game feel longer. If 80% of the gameplay consists of collecting the experience points in the form of lost souls (or “blood echoes”), I find it neither exciting nor difficult, but simply frustratingly boring.

What do you think? Should games be pure relaxation and not present real hurdles? Or do you prefer it extremely challenging with harsh penalties, as in Dark Souls/Bloodborne?

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.