Respec – Neues zu Crowfall, City of Titans, Project Gorgon und SotA

Andreas Bertits Andreas Bertits Reading time 3 minutes

The new year is here! And with the new year come many new updates about the indie MMORPGs currently in development and those still in planning. In this edition of the Respec column, there is information, among others, about Shroud of the Avatar, Crowfall, City of Titans, and Project Gorgon.

Shroud of the Avatar

This month, Pre-Alpha Release 26 will launch and will bring new areas Resolute and Aerie among other things. In addition, balancing of the game is being worked on, and there are plans to optimize performance.

The community is currently hotly debating several elements, including the UI, particularly the chat window, which serves both for chats with players and conversations with NPCs, which some players dislike. The reasoning behind the placement of enemies in the game areas is also being questioned, which may be a topic for a future column.

Why do enemies inhabit the places they do?

shroud of the avatar resolute

Divergence Online

The early access phase of the shooter MMO Divergence Online is set to start soon. The developers at Stainglass Llama Studios are just waiting for Steam’s approval. Then players will be able to get a glimpse of the game, which is described by the developers as the spiritual successor of Star Wars Galaxies.

In the game, you create a hero from the four races Humans, Veli, Lokri, or you can play as an AI. You will join the factions VRTEK, Darius-Conrad, Omicron, Vindicator, Verrator, Establishment, or Heresy and explore the areas Lokesh, November, Xerxes, and Northstar.

Divergence Online aims to combine shooter elements with MMORPG features.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmFSXpyx2_s

The Underground

the underground

An unconventional MMO awaits you with The Underground. If you nostalgically think back to the times of the Super Nintendo and would like to play a game in the visual style of Final Fantasy VI, then you should take a look at The Underground.

The sandbox MMORPG offers 16-bit 2D graphics, but has many interesting gameplay mechanics of an MMORPG. This includes open PvP with what they call “nearly Full Loot.” In the fantasy world, you can build, furnish, and expand your own house and even tame wild animals like dragons.

The MMO is already playable and can be downloaded from the official website of Underground. However, it is still in development.

City of Titans

The spiritual successor of the superhero MMORPG City of Heroes is expected to enter a public testing phase in 2016. The developers announced this.

If all goes well, players may celebrate the upcoming Christmas in the City of Titans. To give a little taste of the game, the developers have now released a series of videos, which show, among other things, early gameplay scenes and character creation. City of Titans is being developed with Unreal Engine 4.

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Project Gorgon

The developers of the MMORPG Project Gorgon have many bizarre ideas. This includes “Animal Town,” a town where only players who want to embody animals can live. So if you prefer to play as a cow or a spider instead of a warrior or mage, you can meet and interact with other animals in Animal Town. There are no limits to imagination in MMORPGs.

Meanwhile, the development of the game is progressing rapidly.

Project Gorgon

Crowfall

Crowfall_D1Gameplay

The PvP MMORPG Crowfall will continue the testing phase in just a few days. On January 6th, a new test will begin on the European server. However, this will only be the first of many further tests, with which the developers will also introduce new features each time to gradually make Crowfall the game that was announced during the Kickstarter campaign.

The developers thank the fans and testers and look forward to a productive year in 2016.

As can be seen, a lot has already happened in the field of indie MMORPGs at the beginning of the year 2016, and we are very excited to see how things will progress in the coming weeks and months!

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

Hearthstone: The 10 Most Popular Decks of 2015

Cortyn Cortyn Reading time 5 minutes

The year 2015 brought many new ideas to the tables of Hearthstone. But which decks were particularly popular among players?

2015 was a wild year for Hearthstone. With numerous expansions, the meta changed quite frequently, many decks disappeared, while others rose to prominence multiple times. The largest database for Hearthstone decks, hearthpwn, published a list of the most popular decks from the past year. We took the list and prepared it a bit. Read here which decks received the most appreciation from the community in the past 12 months.

Rank 10: Full Hand, Full Damage – the Miracle Rogue

Hearthstone Valeera Sanguinar Rogue

The Miracle Rogue did not have a good year. Although many players tried to revive this style of rogue, the sneaky elf did not survive the nerfs to “Goblin Auctioneer” and “Leeroy Jenkins.” Currently, the deck is considered more or less unplayable, at least if you’re aiming for high ranks. However, many players enjoy this deck’s reputation as a “legend” that will not be easily forgotten.

Rank 9: Bleeding the Opponent Dry – the Mill Rogue

Valeera sexy Hearthstone

Also popular, due to its relative uniqueness, was the Mill Rogue. Unlike most ordinary decks, this one does not aim to defeat the opponent quickly through strong combinations, but instead seeks to reduce the enemy’s cards to 0. This is accomplished through effects that allow both players to draw cards—such as the Deeplight Oracle. With “Three’s Company,” this minion can appear up to 8 times in the deck, quickly ensuring that the opponent burns through their cards and ultimately dies of exhaustion.

Rank 8: Dwarven Speed – the New Tempo Mage

Hearthstone Jaina Trailer

A new development was seen in the Tempo Mage with the expansion “Blackrock Mountain,” when the cards “Flamecaller” and “Emperor Thaurissan” expanded the deck. From now on, the mage could further reduce the cost of their cards and play many cheap spells in rapid succession, knocking the opponent out of the game in a well-timed turn. Of course, the ever-popular “Dr. Boom” could not be missed.

Rank 7: Replaced by Machines – the Mech Mage

Hearthstone Mech Piloted shredder

A completely different approach is taken by the Mech Mage, which simply filled their deck with mechanical minions. These already have strong synergies with each other, but the kill shot often came from the spare parts. These count as legitimate spells for only 1 mana and can thus make “Archmage Antonidas” a true factory for fireballs.

Rank 6: In a Mana Frenzy – the Tempo Mage

WoW Jaina Dalaran

The older version of the Tempo Mage, which sweetened the day for many players at the beginning of 2015 and ruined the day for roughly the same number, lost more and more significance throughout the year. Although, at least temporarily, this deck was absolutely feared, and only decks with very high healing could stand against it. However, a revival seems highly unlikely, as a Tempo Mage often runs out of steam now due to the popularity of Reno Jackson.

Learn more about the 5 most popular Hearthstone decks of 2015 on the next page.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. hearthpwn.com
Pages: 1 2

Destiny: Extrem guter Rat – Was kann das Maschinengewehr in Jahr 2?

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 2 minutes

In the MMO shooter Destiny the machine gun “The Extremely Good Advice” is one of the new exotic Year 2 weapons. Is it fun? Is it useful in PvE and PvP?

The extremely good advice in Year 1 was: Don’t use this weapon, take the Thunderlord. Since December, the machine gun has been available in a Year 2 version in Destiny. Bungie has changed quite a bit on it. Is the weapon now useful?

Where can you get “The Extremely Good Advice”?

Destiny-Extrem-Guter-Rat

In Year 1 it was a bounty weapon. Those who still have it from back then, can go to their collection and pull out a Year 2 version. Otherwise, exotic heavy weapon engrams can help, which you can get through things like Three of Coins. Or the weapon can be a random reward from the Nightfall strike, the raid or PvP – maybe Xur will sell it someday.

What makes “The Extremely Good Advice” special in Destiny?

The weapon deals Solar damage and has a high rate of fire with low impact and range. Stability is okay: the weapon tends to pull due to the high rate of fire. Compared to the previous year, stability has been increased by 5 points.

These are the most important perks:

  • The Extremely Good Advice – Missed shots can return to the magazine. Hits can be replenished in the magazine from your reserves – this essentially means: Continuous fire is possible until all heavy ammunition is used up. The German description of the perk is, by the way, incorrect.
  • Crowd Control – Kills with this weapon grant temporarily bonus damage – ideal for containing hordes of enemies.
  • Hand Loader – This weapon is effective at greater ranges.
  • Soft Ballistics – Increased recoil. Range boost.

The idea behind the weapon is not to need to reload but to unleash the entire ammo reserve while firing. Because hits transfer from the inventory to the magazine. Against certain enemies like “walkers,” the perk apparently does not work.

Due to the chosen attributes, the weapon is effective at medium range, but you have to be careful to stay on target. Precision hits are difficult to achieve consistently.

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How good is the weapon in PvE and PvP?

Experts from Planet Destiny clearly say about PvP: It is better to take “The Truth,” an exotic rocket launcher with tracking. Although success is possible in 6-player fights and if the enemies are well positioned, otherwise the recoil poses significant problems.

In PvE, the weapon is mercilessly inferior to the Black Spindle in boss fights. However, the weapon is incredibly fun and great for mowing down hordes of enemies quickly. Therefore, it is a great weapon for strikes, patrols or mob sections in raids, which has many fans.

The “Extremely Good Advice” is a strong weapon that now occupies a niche after Bungie’s changes “The machine gun that allows you to just shoot”, but it still fits into the balance. It is not an “over weapon.”

What do you think about “The Extremely Good Advice”? Can you recommend it?

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

Star Citizen will strengthen its focus on virtual reality in 2016 – Frankfurt team is working on it

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time < 1 minutes

In Star Citizen, the focus on Virtual Reality will return in 2016. And efforts here will be intensified.

As reported by RoadtoVR, according to Chris Roberts, one of the main focuses of the mammoth project Star Citizen in 2016 will be on Virtual Reality. They decided back in 2012 to support Virtual Reality, but this has fallen behind in recent months as the team worked harder to get Alpha 2.0 to players. Afterwards, they focused on 2.1.

Both Star Citizen and the Virtual Reality technology have undergone many changes in recent months, so there are now some updates regarding VR that Star Citizen must integrate. This will not be easy, as Star Citizen now also works differently with the CryEngine, no longer taking regular updates but picking and choosing what to implement.

Star Citizen Status

Support for Virtual Reality is an issue for the staff in Frankfurt. The team there also took over the original Virtual Reality work at Crytek. Some work hours will need to be invested now, but they believe that they can close the gap to current Virtual Reality technology early in 2016.

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

Blade & Soul: Can my computer handle it? – The system requirements

Cortyn Cortyn Reading time 2 minutes

The release of Blade & Soul is just a few days away. But what does a computer need to be able to display the game? We present: The system requirements.

Even with a wooden PC, it will be bearable

After fans in the West had to wait many years for the action MMORPG Blade & Soul, the official release of the game is finally on January 19th here as well. But few things dampen the anticipation for a new MMO as much as the uncertainty about whether your own computer can even handle the display.

Because who wants to stutter through the cities at 2 frames per second, only to experience a highly anticipated game as a slideshow? The official website of Blade & Soul has now announced the system requirements – and they are more than reasonable.

Blade and Soul Gewaltenbändiger Screen1
Blade & Soul is pretty – but also a little bit dusty. The computer doesn’t need to do much.

The minimum requirements are:

  • Intel Dual Core or AMD Athlon 64X2
  • 2 GB RAM (Windows XP) or 3 GB RAM (Windows 7)
  • nVidia GeForce 8600GT or AMD Radeon HD4600

Better components are recommended:

  • Intel Quad Core or AMD Phenom II X
  • 4 GB RAM
  • nVidia GeForce 8800GT or AMD Radeon HD4850

In addition, at least DirectX 9.0c is required (which basically every computer today can easily support) and a hard drive space of 22 GB should also be freed up.

The low system requirements are probably mainly due to the fact that the game itself has been around for several years and has had time to mature in the Korean version. It arrives here in a solid and, above all, optimized state.

For more about the game, such as a comparison with Black Desert Online, you can find on our Blade & Soul topic page.

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

World of Warcraft: Welches Shop-Mount ist beliebt? Welches hat kaum wer?

Cortyn Cortyn Reading time < 1 minutes

How popular are the mounts in the in-game shop of World of Warcraft? Some data sheds light on this …

The older, the more popular

World of Warcraft has had an in-game shop for quite some time, where you can purchase not only various character services like server transfer or faction change, but also cosmetic items. These items include various mounts such as the Winged Guardian or the Heart of the Aspects.

But how well do these animals actually sell? Are they virtual shelf-warmers, or does every player basically have these mounts? This is what the folks at mmo-champion wondered and analyzed a lot of data.

WoW Heart of the aspects mount

At the top of the popularity list are the three mounts Heavenly Horse, Heart of the Aspects, and the Winged Guardian. Almost 16% of all players have purchased these mounts. At the bottom of the sales list are the Swift Windsteed and the Mystical Rune Saber, with only about 7% of players opting to buy them.

Generally, these figures are not surprising – the longer a mount has been available, the more players have treated themselves to it. Notably, the Swift Windsteed seems to be rather unpopular.

The data was drawn from 2.2 million accounts that have logged into the game since November 1, 2015.

For more information about Azeroth, you can visit our World of Warcraft theme page.

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

Destiny: Habt Ihr schon die 4 neuen Geister gefunden? So kriegt Ihr sie

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time < 1 minutes

In the MMO shooter Destiny , the December patch introduced 4 new ghosts for “enthusiastic” collectors. Here’s how to find the dead ghosts.

It is a popular sport in Destiny: Find the dead ghosts. Just like in platformers, they are essentially secret bonus stars hidden in more or less accessible locations in the world that one can run past for years without noticing them. With the December patch that arrived early last month, 4 new ghosts made their way into the world of Destiny. By now, they have all been found. We’ll show you the locations, or rather: We’ll link you to videos by the YouTuber CrankyNeo, who has done a great job with the German client.

Two new ghosts have made it into the strike “Summoning Pits,” found in Phogoth’s boss chamber. The first one, “The Strange Exo 2,” was discovered some time ago:

http://youtu.be/wCjB2vVTb-0

The second new ghost in Phogoth, “Reyl Azzir – Before the Walls Existed,” was better hidden and was only found in recent days:

http://youtu.be/9YuvoFzpLG4

Some believe the sudden enthusiasm of the ghosts for Phogoth is a sign that the Summoning Pits will soon arrive in Year 2.

You can easiest access the other two ghosts via the patrol mode. From the shooter line in the Ocean of Storms, this video leads you to the sought-after ghost “Osiris Vision 47”:

http://youtu.be/WAtQILdqeMU

And here’s the last of the little Grimoire point bringers, “Ocean of Storms 2”:

http://youtu.be/diL4rlvjS8w

You can find an article on the general ghost hunting in Destiny here:

Destiny: Here’s how to find all dead ghosts

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

Vindictus is giving away a pin-up calendar for event winners

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 2 minutes

The MMORPG Vindictus is giving away a risqué calendar with pin-ups in China in 2016.

We in the West view the relationship of Asians to young, semi-naked women quite critically. Normally, this is limited to pixel brides with a bust that can make you seasick from watching, and armor that protects only about 3% of the body. However, in parts of Asia, they also like to use starlets, who are somehow pop stars or something similar, to create girl groups to advertise products, and in our hobby, these are indeed games – last seen in ArcheAge.

For 2016, the Chinese version of Vindictus has come up with something special: They took ladies and had them take photos for a pin-up calendar 2016 in a kind of “Victoria’s Secret cosplay” show – first, they recreate scenes from the game with clothing and accessories, then they remove most of the clothing and keep only the accessories.

The calendar is said to be given to winners of events, reports the Asia-focused site 2p, which states that the report about the calendar has brought them record click numbers for reasons unknown to us.

Cortyn has, by the way, refused to write this news for equally inexplicable reasons, mentioning: “This is no longer cosplay, this is porn.” Therefore, out of pure shame, we have only selected the tamest images from the calendar.

  • Vindictus-August
  • Vindictus-September
  • Vindictus-November

What do you think: Would a calendar like that motivate you to win an event? Would that also be an idea for local publishers or would they justly face the wrath of the internet? And completely independent of the article: What is actually your favorite month? I like July!

We took the photos from 2p.

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

Kingdom under Fire 2 – Back from the Dead

Cortyn Cortyn Reading time 2 minutes

Kingdom under Fire 2 is finally back after almost 7 years of delay. A new testing phase is set to take place in China!

New Beta Phase Still in January

Those who are said to be dead live longer. This is not really a saying that applies to computer games. Especially when games simply disappear without a trace for nearly 6 years. “Kingdom under Fire 2” was officially announced in 2008 and was supposed to be released in 2009 on PC and consoles (then PS3 and Xbox 360) – and then it went quiet.

Although there has been a PC version in Southeast Asia since then, little has developed beyond that. In 2015, they unexpectedly announced a PS4 version with which they aimed to conquer the Free2Play markets… before the game disappeared from the radar again.

Kingdom under fire 2 character concepts

There is still no news about a Western release, but at least a Chinese alpha version begins on January 15, where a large part of the game content will be tested for 4 days.

The Classes During the Test

During the alpha test, the level cap will be at level 30, and three different classes will be available to try out. Let’s take a look at the candidates and their general playstyle.

The Spellsword seems to be a mage by name, but she is not much into casting spells at long distances. Instead, she uses her magical powers to swing her sword (and the magic wand) in close combat and enhance her attacks. She also always has jelly on hand.

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On the other hand, the Berserker lives up to his name. He charges between enemy lines and swings the bastard sword to carve paths of devastation through the ranks of foes. Those who survive the first blows get the final blow dealt with the gauntlet – which conveniently is possessed by “the power of darkness”.

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Although the name Gunslinger sounds like a pure ranged fighter, he is much more versatile. At long distances, he uses his rifle. However, when enemies get too close, he can quickly switch to his sword and shine in close combat with numerous abilities.

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Whether Kingdom under Fire 2 will ever find its way to the West remains to be seen – just like whether there will still be interest in the game by then.

We have reported on the game in the past, so be sure to check out our article on the original release date.

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

Black Desert: So geht es jetzt in 2016 erst mal weiter

Cortyn Cortyn Reading time 2 minutes

Are there already plans for the second beta test of Black Desert with us? The developers are providing an update on the situation.

A Trip to South Korea

After the first major beta test (CBT-1) of Black Desert Online, the team thanks the diligent players for the great feedback and the numerous data collected. In the coming week, part of the team will travel to Seoul in South Korea. They intend to discuss the results of the beta test on-site with the developers. This will also involve plans for CBT-2 and the subsequent release.

“This trip gives us the opportunity to directly relay the feedback. We consider it essential to ensure that we provide you with the best service possible. After that, there will be another diary entry from project manager Belsazar, who will keep you updated.”

Black Desert Classes
The graphic of Black Desert is outstanding – the latest version and incredibly impressive.

Criticism Due to Holiday Calm

They even addressed the fans’ criticism that the game has been quiet for several days. Fans felt they received too little information over the New Year and wish for something like a weekly blog post. The official statement reads:

“We have no plans for a weekly report. CBT-1 ended [some] days ago and you can certainly imagine the enormous amounts of data that were collected. Combine that with the developers’ wish to spend time with their families over the holidays, and I’m sure you understand why there have been no new announcements so far. I know everyone here is looking forward to CBT-2 and wants to know more, and I assure you that I will share the information with you as soon as it becomes available.”

If you can’t wait until then, take a look at our Black Desert theme page.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. Forum BD - Feiertage
  2. Forum BD - Reise nach Korea

Tree of Savior: Märchenhaftes Spiel – Albtraumhafter Start

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 2 minutes

The launch of Tree of Savior in South Korea did not go as planned. Bugs and a difficult cash shop marred the launch.

Tree of Savior is considered the spiritual successor to Ragnarok Online, a game that many veterans still revere. On December 29, during the holidays, the game launched now in South Korea. The launch is generally described as a disaster. The game reportedly still has many issues, is in a difficult state, observers like Steparu report, and this is also the picture reflected on reddit.

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Bugs, bots, and the cash shop dominated the first days

Not only bugs but also the cash shop immediately stood out unpleasantly: “A haircut in the game is more expensive than a real one!” was one of the hot topics of the first days.

It was a nightmare start with everything that goes with it. There were player protests, nasty memes, publisher Nexon is only interested in money, and so on.

Player-Protest
Player protest

In a first step, player direct trading has now been prohibited, allegedly fearing being overrun by bots. Players are to trade through a Pay2Use auction house – with premium currency, they can, for example, extend the duration.

Initial countermeasures have been taken

In addition, the ban hammer has already been wielded, banning botters, exploiters, and so on. It has reportedly also caught some Chinese players since they use VPN programs to be able to play in Korea.

The developers have already begun to address the first fixes of the numerous issues.

All in all, really not a good start for Tree of Savior in South Korea. Hopefully, it goes smoother with a planned global version.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. steparu
  2. 2p

Destiny: Kommt der Phogoth-Strike zurück? Geister und Kapuze von Malok

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 2 minutes

In the MMO shooter Destiny , fans hope that the Summoning Pits will come in a Year 2 version. There are signs for that. Among other things, the mysterious “Hood of Malok.”

Destiny-Phogoth

Next to dedicated servers, this is the most common criticism of Destiny: There is too little to do, make the Year 1 activities worthwhile for Year 2 as well. Bring them back!

Many are hoping for a return of the raids. That seems unlikely. But at least more strikes from the first year could be carried over to Year 2.

At the moment, only the “newer” ones are allowed, the two from the DLCs and the strikes specifically created or revised for Year 2. The other 3-player instances from Year 1 simply don’t bring anything anymore. The selection is a bit thin and could still be padded.

And indeed, the signs are increasing that something is happening in the “Summoning Pits.” One of the new ghosts, which came in the December patch, is located there:

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This is not the only ghost that was new in December; you can find the other three here:

Destiny: Have you found the 4 new ghosts? Here’s how to get them

Raider is now called Twix and the Helm of Krolok is now the Hood of Malok

Another indication seen by supporters of the “Bring Phogoth Back” theory is in the strike-exclusive armor pieces. All have been found except for the “Helm of Krolok.” The hunter-exclusive helmet has been suspected with Omnigul for some time – but it was never found there. With the December patch, the “Helm of Krolok” was renamed to “Hood of Malok.”

Some believe this is now a sign that the helmet, which somehow looks like a Hive, is intended as an exclusive drop for the Phogoth strike when the Summoning Pits come in a new “Year 2” form.

Phogoth – desperately searched for

Mein MMO thinks: Bungie has not yet commented on all the speculations. However, these theories do not seem too unlikely to us. It may well be that polishing up old content brings new life to Destiny in Year 2. New shooter content is likely to be sparse in 2016, even if some has been announced, – at least until the autumn.

However, there is nothing that definitively suggests that Phogoth will really return. As so often in Destiny, the wish could be father to the thought.

Granted, Phogoth could take some steam off the kettle. Many currently want something new to do. But even a current Phogoth strike would probably not last long. It’s surprising how many long to face the ugliest boss in Destiny once more.

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

Devilian Devilian in Test – A Diablo as MMORPG

Andreas Bertits Andreas Bertits Reading time 5 minutes

A mix of MMORPG and Hack ‘n Slay? Could Devilian be the game that heralds the next evolutionary stage of Diablo? Our test of the online game will reveal the answer to this question and how much the innovative concept impacts gameplay.

I have spent what feels like years with the Diablo series, battling through randomly generated landscapes and dungeons – alone or side by side with good friends. We fought hordes of monsters, collected tons of items and had a lot of fun. Yet there was always a little wish unfulfilled. Wouldn’t it be cool to transfer the concept of Diablo into an MMORPG? Exactly that was promised by Devilian from Trion Worlds, which is why I eagerly dove into the battles.

Devilian Hack and Slay MMMORPG
Does the mix between Hack and Slay and MMORPG work?

Diablo as MMORPG?

Devilian takes place in a dark fantasy world threatened by chaos. Sinister creatures spread fear and terror. You play as a so-called Devilian, half-human and half-demon, who can switch between these two forms to confront the encroaching darkness.

As is customary for an MMORPG, you first create a hero. The classes available are Berserker, Gunner, Summoner, and Shadow Hunter. As you can see, the classes are gender-bound. Each class has different abilities. While the Berserker is more of a tank, the Summoner represents a damage dealer. This is useful for effective group composition.

Devilian Gruppenspiel Dungeon
In group play, multiple roles can be taken on

Gameplay is from a Diablo-like isometric perspective, guiding your hero across vast landscapes. Here is the first difference to other Hack ‘n Slays. The hero is typically controlled as in an MMORPG using WASD keys. The mouse is used for aiming. Those used to Diablo will need to adjust, which happens quite quickly. Alternatively, you can enable a click-to-move control, but this makes aiming somewhat harder.

Devilian Dualist
Slicing through enemies in Devilian just like in Diablo – optionally with RPG controls!

Even in the first minutes, the similarity to Diablo becomes apparent. As you journey through wondrous places, you fight your way through hordes, almost legions of monsters, loot items, and level up, allowing you to enhance your hero across three different skill trees.

The Hero as Devil

The individual skills dictate the direction in which the hero should develop. A Berserker can, for example, focus on fast attacks, fire damage, or leap attacks. It is possible to specialize in one direction or spread skill points to create an all-rounder. A respec, or redistribution of points, is also possible, allowing you to try out different builds in safe locations. New skills lead to ever-new attack types that will benefit you in the many fights. Each hero also has a demonic form where you become particularly powerful for a short period. To unlock this form, you collect demon souls in the game. Once you’ve collected enough, you can transform and cause even more destruction.

Devilian Shadowhunter Devilforn
With the demonic form, additional superpowers come to light

Throughout the game world, there are villages and other safe places where you can meet up with other players and form groups, or where you can buy and sell equipment. Equipment is just as important as improving skills – just like you know from Diablo.

At the safe locations, you also receive numerous quests that take you across the game world to dark forests, ancient ruins, and other mysterious places, where many challenges await you. Among other things, in the form of massive boss opponents that you can best defeat as a group.

Devilian Dungeon
The dungeons wear out relatively quickly

However, a significant disadvantage compared to Diablo quickly becomes apparent. The world is not randomly generated. While all dungeons and locations are lovingly crafted by hand and make a great impression, one of the appeals of Diablo is being able to explore new places with every game. This provides variety, surprise, and an increased replay value. This is missing in Devilian. Also, the vast amounts of loot in Diablo are sought in vain here. While there is plenty of loot in Devilian too, Diablo simply offers more.

PvP and Maps

PvP in Devilian takes place in predefined locations. For example, control points need to be captured and held in an area, leading to large battles with other players. On some maps, 20 players fight against 20 opponents, while on others it’s only three against three. There is no open PvP in the game world. Here, cooperative PvE is required to take on the hordes of monsters and the dangerous boss opponents. Of course, it is also possible to form guilds and participate in guild wars. Daily repeatable quests also contribute to the feeling of playing an MMORPG.

devilian talisman
Talismans allow further customization of the character

A small peculiarity is brought into play by the maps or talismans. These cards provide a boost for certain abilities and can also be combined. Talismans exist in various qualities and can also be upgraded. You can either craft the cards yourself or find them in special chests. The talisman system adds a little feeling of a collectible card game, as you are always on the hunt for even better cards to further enhance your hero.

Visually, Devilian can certainly convince – as long as you’re okay with the anime style. The game shows its origin from Asia. If you zoom in closer to your hero, you can see – at least the female characters – are depicted quite revealingly.

The landscapes appear gloomy, the monsters threatening, and the effects like fire spells are quite convincing. The atmosphere is right. If you notice a similarity to the MMORPG TERA, you are indeed correct. Devilian also comes from Blue Hole, and the developers even used some assets from the well-known online RPG – for example, from the Elin race.

Devilian Grafik Klassen
A bit of TERA can also be found in Devilian

Andreas says:

Devilian is not quite what I had hoped for. And that is mainly because the gameplay quickly wears thin. You might say the same about Diablo, however, Blizzard’s Hack ‘n Slay has a decisive advantage that becomes glaringly apparent in direct comparison with Devilian: The randomness. In Devilian, I stomp through the same areas and dungeons, while in Diablo each gaming session is different.

Even in terms of loot, I somehow wished for a bit more. However, the battles, the many tasks, and the possibilities to improve my hero are convincing. Also, the fact that I can transform into a kind of demon is cool. And yet: After a while, the excitement fades. There’s a lack of variety, the unexpected, the motivation that makes me want to play longer and keeps me glued to the monitor. However, this doesn’t make Devilian a bad game, because I still enjoy smashing hordes of monsters every now and then.

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

Dogma: After a crisis year, we are moving forward motivated

Cortyn Cortyn Reading time < 1 minutes

After a failed Kickstarter campaign, Dogma: Eternal Night moves forward – a new trailer shows first scenes.

Sneaking around in the sewers

The horror MMORPG Dogma: Eternal Night has an exciting year ahead. While it can’t be said that 2015 was less interesting, it ended in failure. The game tried to finance itself through a Kickstarter campaign and failed. For the fans, a little teaser has been prepared to coincide with the start of the new year, showcasing a short video.

What can be seen is a dark sewer through which players will be able to sneak in the future. Although the environment still lacks a bit of the creepy atmosphere, what’s not there can still become a reality.

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In 2016, the game aims to transition into official testing phases. Those who want to support Dogma: Eternal Night can help the horror MMORPG by donating on their homepage to secure early access to the beta tests (2017) and alpha tests (2016). Additional perks include the exclusive soundtrack and wallpapers.

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

Warcraft Movie: Largest free exhibition in China!

Cortyn Cortyn Reading time < 1 minutes

Those waiting for the Warcraft movie should consider a short trip to China – there is a large exhibition to visit.

The Alliance Banners Wave in China

If you can’t wait any longer in the last 5 months until the release of the Warcraft movie in Germany, you should perhaps organize a plane ticket to China and head to Chengdu. Since December 31, 2015, over 150 props and life-sized statues of characters from the movie can be admired there. According to their own statements, this makes the exhibition the “largest free, film-based exhibition in the world”.

Warcraft Movie Props China 2
Warcraft Movie Props China 1

In addition to the numerous armors, weapons, and banners, all visitors can also experience a virtual flight with the Gryphon over Azeroth – this is likely a scenic flight over Stormwind, which was previously available for free download.

The Warcraft movie premieres in our cinemas on May 26, 2016.

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

Destiny: Fantastic cosplay shows Hunter in action

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time < 1 minutes

The MMO shooter Destiny has an active community and many would like to slip into the skin of their Guardian: This leads to impressive cosplays.

Recently, we showed you a fan, who received a custom Titan costume from Sony as part of a giveaway. For cosplayers, this is nothing new; most make their outfits themselves and derive satisfaction from the long, long hours of crafting.

Cosplayer and male model Mitchell Aucoin has now been captured in an impressive series of photo shots by Hm Cosplay Photography . Even though the gloves look kind of strange, it is already a great spectacle. Here you can gradually view the 10 photos of the series, you can go to the next image by clicking “Next”.

Destiny Hunter Cosplay

What do you think of the look?

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

Black Desert: Bereits über 120.000 Vorbestellungen?

Cortyn Cortyn Reading time < 1 minutes

The pre-sale business of Black Desert is booming – at least if you believe the fans in the forum.

The Mystery of the Order Number

It is often very difficult for players to anticipate how successful a game will really be, unless it is an absolute blockbuster title. Reliable sales figures are – if at all – often only available weeks after the release.

In the official forum of Black Desert, players now want to have identified how many packages have already found an owner based on the order numbers. According to this, the last 7 digits of an order are the transaction number – as effectively the sold packages. Currently, there are around 120,000 pre-orders! So far, this number seems to be genuinely continuous, which lends at least a little credibility to the theory.

Black Desert Sales Figures

However, this data should be treated with caution. While the explanation sounds plausible, there has been no official confirmation from Daum regarding these figures.

Find more information about the game on our Black Desert topic page.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. Forum BD
  2. 2p.com

The Division: Wenn du Supporter werden willst, hilf Kranken – neue Infos zum Skillsystem

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 2 minutes

For the shooter MMO “Tom Clancy’s The Division” there is new information about the skills and how they relate to missions.

A new post titled “Everything You Need to Know About The Division” has just been published in the French version of the Ubi Blog. Of course, we already know most of it. However, there were a few new pieces of information.

The Division will take place in Manhattan and Brooklyn

It is now officially confirmed that The Division takes place in the New York City neighborhoods of Manhattan and Brooklyn. Fans were not so sure about Brooklyn lately. There hasn’t been much news about that for a long time.

Another important piece of information concerns the city and the players’ skills – they are clearly more closely connected than one might expect. According to Ubisoft, the city plays an important role, and depending on which aspect of the rebuilding the player supports, certain skills will be unlocked. Each main or side quest will be assigned to one of three areas and will unlock skills in the corresponding fields.

Skill-Division
Here are also the three skill categories to be seen.

The Holy Trinity in Missions

Thus, missions in the city are divided into three different basic directions:

Those who support safety in New York, work on defending against various threats, or strengthen the civilian protection forces, make progress in the “safety” category. Skills related to this increase the agent’s defense and make him the ideal tank in the team.

Those who take care of medical supply enhance their own abilities to care for and support teammates in combat.

Those who contribute to the technology direction and strengthen New York’s infrastructure will unlock weapons and gadgets in this category.

In the game, this mechanic will be connected to the expansion of the advanced base. Thus, one essentially builds the “individual wings” of the headquarters when completing corresponding missions.

Attention: Since the information comes from a French source, I had Latin in school, one should only trust Google Translate as far as one can throw it, and we at Mein-MMO.de, despite my repeated suggestions, do not employ any French speakers, the information should currently be taken with caution – but it sounds quite like Ubisoft.

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Already in the last podcast, when discussing the stats, it was suggested that The Division would at least somewhat follow the typical “trinity” (Holy Trinity) with a distinction between tank, healer, and support.

By the way, Ubisoft refers to The Division as “Action RPG Online.” It is set to release on March 8th on PC, Playstation 4, and Xbox One. A beta is expected in the coming weeks.

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

Star Citizen: Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker) spricht über seine Rolle in Squadron 42

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 2 minutes

The space epic Star Citizen will feature its single-player campaign Squadron 42 with well-known actors. Among them is Mark Hamill, who played Luke Skywalker in Star Wars.

PCGamer had the chance to look around the set where Mark Hamill was currently recording his scenes for Squadron 42, the single-player campaign that is set to come with Star Citizen. The “set” is not an exotic location somewhere on the edge of the world, but a motion capturing studio in London.

In the studio, it’s a wooden chair; in the computer, it’s a pilot seat

And this “motion capturing” fascinates Mark Hamill about the process. Everyone wears the same outfit, regardless of whether they are the main actor or in a supporting role. There are no differences. After a lifetime on film and television sets, it feels as if one is starting all over again.

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Differences can now also be adjusted technically. Hamill plays in some scenes with John Rhys-Davies, a heavier actor. But the image that the eye sees does not correspond to what the players will see in the end.

Because the computer removes the size difference, changes the body shapes – only a kind of essence of the actors remains, which is beamed into the game, writes PC Gamer. Rhys-Davies should have experience with that. The 1.85m tall actor played the dwarf Gimli in the “Lord of the Rings” films.

Also from the improvised wooden sets in the studio, a fantastic, futuristic cockpit appears in the computer.

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Hamill plays a tough guy

Hamill will take on the role of Lt. Commander Steve “Old Man” Colton in Star Citizen, a veteran and the player’s mentor. He will be a rough character, someone who takes his duty seriously. Hamill says: “He doesn’t teach people anything – he hammers them into the form he wants, he believes in the cause. My father was in the Navy. I’ve met a lot of these people, career soldiers, serious types. Often with reservations against those educated from university.”

For Hamill, the project is a reunion with Chris Roberts – nearly 20 years ago, Hamill played the character Christopher Blair in two Wing Commander games, twice under Roberts’ direction, once without him.

When Roberts asked him if he wanted to be involved, Hamill replied: “I don’t need to see the script! I’m in!” His agent was not thrilled: “You really didn’t say that to him? Please sell yourself for heaven’s sake a little more expensively!”

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

Star Wars Battlefront: Sales Success – The Marketing Power was with the Shooter

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time < 1 minutes

In the online shooter Star Wars Battlefront , analysts have now identified a sales hit. This was significantly driven by the marketing machinery in conjunction with the movie.

Fortune magazine believes and cites analysts as proof that Star Wars Battlefront made an incredible amount of money in December – also thanks to the Star Wars movie hype.

Analyst Michael Pachter estimates 6 million units sold in November and another 6 million in December. At an average selling price of $55, that would mean revenue of approximately 660 million USD.

Another analyst, Evan Wilson, even expects 13 million units sold. However, he believes that many of these games have already been sold at a reduced price.

Star Wars Battlefront Test

According to Joost van Dreunen from Super Data, there is no doubt that the positive response to the movie helped sell Star Wars Battlefront and the numerous other Star Wars titles. Analyst Randy Nelson believes that the massive marketing budget of 350 million dollars for the film likely contributed to the success.

It seems that the “perfect storm” of marketing, a shooter game, Christmas, and the movie is responsible for Star Wars Battlefront ultimately meeting the high expectations. Even in November, it didn’t seem likely that Battlefront could meet these goals.

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