In several interviews, senior personnel from Black Desert Online faced numerous questions – they believe that Buy2Play will be beneficial for the game.
Confident in Sales
The Marketing Manager, Rick van Beem, is absolutely convinced of the Buy2Play model in the West. The decision for this step was not easy, but it seemed to be the best method. On one hand, because the Free2Play MMO market is currently very saturated, and on the other hand, because Black Desert is “of such high quality” that it can reasonably demand direct payment.
Ultimately, it helps the balance of the game – as one does not have to deal with any Pay2Win items from the real money shop. While they still want to have a real money shop, it will only focus on cosmetics and quality of life. An increase in character power is excluded.
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Another question focused on the “sexy” content that can be found in Black Desert – such as lingerie and underwear. Here they want to be cautious and “westernize” the game to avoid certain issues that western players have with certain provocations that are perfectly normal in the Korean market.
In the future, they would not be opposed to a console version and would be pleased to see Black Desert on Xbox One and PlayStation 4 someday – but currently, they are completely focused on the PC version.
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Also, Daniel Loehr, the Project Manager, once again addresses the topic of the Buy2Play model. In his opinion, this model has a “premium” feel in the West, and Free2Play has failed in many places. He mentions that there have been many recent failures in adapting Free2Play games (though he doesn’t name it, he probably means WildStar). Black Desert Online is different because it would provide content for several months at launch and satisfy the fans.
In the fantasy MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV, the new year is welcomed with a flying turtle.
Mastermind Naoki Yoshida addresses the fans for the new year. 2015 was also an exciting year for him. He traveled extensively across the world, attending conventions on three continents to meet as many players as possible. The highlight was Heavensward. The release of the expansion reinforced Yoshida’s impression that they were on the right track 5 years after 1.0.
Depending on how one counts, Final Fantasy XIV turned two or five years old in 2015 – either way, it is now an adult MMORPG, right in the middle of its lifespan. For 2016, Yoshida hopes everyone remembers what it was like when they themselves were new, so that the community can progress together.
There might be long-term plans behind the flying turtle to make every mount in Final Fantasy XIV a flying mount. Later reports suggested they want to make the turtle from the Golden Saucer flyable with 3.2. However, nothing seems set in stone yet.
Final Fantasy XIV plans to bring FF XIII items to the Mog Station
Nothing concerning the New Year’s greeting relates to the news that Square Enix plans to bring the items that were available at the “Lightning Strikes” event into the cash shop. The event was associated with FF XIII. The items will come in sets with a weapon, a hairstyle and one of two different equipment sets. Players can choose a weapon for their job. However, there are no weapons for the 3 “new” Heavensward classes.
These are statements from the Japanese forum. A specific date and details will be announced later.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The PSN network is currently down. There seem to be unscheduled maintenance works happening.
The PSN is crucial for players to play online on the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4. And since many games today, such as The Elder Scrolls Online or Destiny , require an online connection, a system outage is extremely inconvenient.
On the afternoon of January 4th, it is happening again: The PSN has been experiencing issues since around 5:00 PM and is down. There has been no warning or comment from Sony regarding this action. The service page states: Everything is great. It seems to be a case of unscheduled maintenance.
For players of Destiny, this is particularly disruptive today: It is the last day of the Iron Banner and also of the Trials of Osiris. Many players typically want to complete the last matches for their rewards. Especially in the Iron Banner, it pays off due to the increasing bonus.
Players of The Elder Scrolls Online are also doubly affected by the outage: Just a few hours ago, the scheduled maintenance for the game on the PS4 was completed.
Update:Sony has now changed the status page of the PSN and acknowledged the issues. There is the phrase that technicians are working on resolving the problems. The news is also available on Twitter: Some users are having trouble accessing the PSN. We are aware of it. Thank you for your patience while we address this issue.
We’re aware that some users are having trouble accessing PSN. Thanks for your patience as we investigate. https://t.co/8hMUSl2cCe
After nearly two months in the open beta, Armored Warfare proudly reflects on 2015 and has a vision for 2016.
The developers of Armored Warfare, a military MMO, seem to be shining like a child with a honey cake at Christmas. After only 2 months in the open beta, they look at their game with as much pride as a parent would. They are particularly pleased about:
and how much the players appreciate the balancing at mid-tier in PvP – they have spent a lot of time on the balancing here and want to transfer that to other tier levels
Armored Warfare wants to apply and polish
The plans for 2016 can be summarized with a Karate Kid quote: apply and polish. They want to bring new features while constantly refining and perfecting the game. The goal is to continue to hone the game during the open beta phase to fully exploit its potential upon release.
In 2016, new maps, game modes, traders and thus vehicles are expected to come. They also want to refine balancing and matchmaking and work on all the mechanics so that they can be meaningfully improved.
Fans of Star Wars: Battlefront are hungry for new DLCs and fresh content. But when will there finally be news?
A Proper Announcement
Since the release of Star Wars: Battlefront on PC and consoles, some time has passed. While players fight through various ranks, unlock weapons, emotes, and different factions, the first free DLC “The Battle of Jakku” has also been released. However, there are still at least 4 more DLCs waiting for players, which could already be purchased in advance with the Season Pass.
The site wccftech.com now reports various dialogues from the official forum between a player and the developer Guillaume Mroz. He confirmed that there are currently some technical difficulties with the implementation of the offline multiplayer, the resolution of which will take some time. In addition, he mentioned that there will soon be fresh information about the next DLC – but he could not spoil anything in advance; an “official” announcement was planned.
In a second dialogue with the same user and support, some additional information became known. Internally, there is still no release schedule available. Fans will have to be patient for a while longer.
In addition to the 4 paid DLCs, which include 4 new heroes, 4 new game modes, and 20 maps, there are expected to be more free DLCs modeled after “The Battle of Jakku”. However, reliable statements on this are still missing.
We will keep you updated as soon as there is news. In the meantime, it might be worth checking out our other posts, such as the commercial success of the game or the critique of the gameplay depth – which has been confirmed by the developers.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
It’s that time again and the first NA LCS Split for Season 6 starts at League of Legends (LoL). We are introducing the teams to you!
On 16.01.2016 it’s finally here and the first matches of the NA LCS begin. This is the interesting league of LoL for many here. With only a few days to go before the start, the teams had to announce their official lineups now. With this information, we can take a closer look at the teams and cautiously assess how well they will perform in the Spring section of the NA LCS.
Team Solomid has worked hard on their lineup last year. The former Top Laner “Dyrus” has retired from professional play and passed his place to Hauntzer. “Santorin” gave his position in the Jungle to Svenskeren and “Lustboy” also ended his role as a supporter and professional player, making way for Yellowstar, who left his old team fNatic for TSM.
As the second “star” on the bot lane for TSM plays now “Doublelift”. The transition of Doublelift from CLG to TSM was one of the most criticized transfers in the past year, as the two teams are actually arch-rivals in League of Legends. The only player who remained at TSM from last season is Bjergsen. The team now has a lot of talent, but so far they are strong only individually – it remains to be seen if they can also function as a team.
With the addition of Rush, C9 now has a talented jungler in their team who fits well with the other players in terms of play style. Although he had a relatively limited pool of jungle champions he mastered before, that might have changed during the long break.
Seeing the gifted shotcaller “Hai” in the support position is also something new. Since BunnyFuFu is the substitute player, it’s conceivable that Hai plays the support role at the beginning of the split to teach BunnyFuFu the shotcalling that is so important to Cloud 9.
Due to the changes in various items in the game and the fact that tanks are currently predominantly played on the top lane, this LoL season fits well with the champion pool of top laner Balls. Cloud 9 has also assembled a promising team.
This team’s lineup strongly resembles TSM as there are also strong individual LoL players here. With Impact, GBM, and Altec, there is a lot of potential for the team to perform well this season.
Especially GBM, who was considered one of the best mid-laners in Korea last season, will likely have a significant influence on the game outcomes. The question remains how the jungler Moon will perform. He is not very experienced and must now play directly with players who have already proven themselves.
Immortals
Lineup:
Top: Huni, Jungle: Reignover, Mid: Pobelter, ADC: Wildturte, Support: Adrian
When the team Immortals was announced, one of the biggest hype waves that a new team in LoL has ever triggered broke out on Twitter, Reddit, and Facebook. Almost all players had previously ranked very high with their former teams, except for Adrian.
Huni and Reignover have already proven in the past that their synergy works more than “well”. Huni was considered the absolute best top laner of the EU-West teams last season. However, he does not have nerves of steel, which can lead him to easily squander his potential when things are not going well.
The question is whether Pobelter has worked on his champion pool and moves from passive mages like Orianna or Lulu to more aggressive champions. Wildturtle also did not particularly shine last season and faced many problems he had to work on. If everything goes well, the team Immortals could be easily placed in the top 3 rankings at the end of the season.
Especially during the time between the last and the new season, there was a lot of drama surrounding Counter Logic Gaming. Additionally, CLG lost 2 of their star players with Doublelift and Pobelter.
Stixxay and Huhi did not show their best performance at IEM San Jose, which is why many are curious how they will now fit into the new team.
What CLG still has are Darshan (who was formerly known as ZionSpartan) and Aphromoo. These two players are still responsible for shotcalling at CLG. Should games go into the “late game”, this team enjoys strong advantages. One thing is for sure: once Darshan gets ahead, nothing can stop him.
As you can see, there are still many question marks on the lineup. This is because Team Liquid has announced they want to play this season with a 10-man roster. This is already very popular in Korea, where different players are played against certain teams with different playstyles.
However, this also has its disadvantages, as it takes much longer to establish team synergy. It is not easy to replace the former top laner Quas, who was one of the strongest players at Team Liquid.
With Fenix, IWillDominate, and Piglet, the team still has reliable strong players. Whether the new coach Locodoco can now solve the shotcalling problems that the team had last season remains to be seen.
Similar to Team Immortals, there was also a lot of hype around the Renegades. The players Alex Ich, Freeze, and Crumbzz all have extensive experience in the LCS. With these players as a backbone, it should be relatively easy to build a strong team.
However, these expectations were not completely fulfilled in the qualification for the LCS. They barely managed to win against Coast and qualify.
The upgrade from Maplestreet to Freeze in the ADC role is very promising. A weak point in the team is the support role. Remilia’s strongest champions are Morgana and Thresh – which is why the team often has to secure one of these champions with the first pick and give up the “power” of the first pick for a supporter.
I suspect that the team will not perform poorly, but will ultimately be more in the midfield.
I’m not exactly sure what to make of this team’s lineup. Clearly, Froggen is by far the best player here – he has proven this very often and for a very long time by playing in the LCS.
Keith has also shown that he plays at an LCS level as ADC, but he is ranked more towards the lower end. Hard & Baby are both good players at Challenger level (which is one level below the LCS). With kfo, it’s hard to know what will happen. He’s a rather unknown Korean ranked player who is good for surprises – but whether he can implement that in the LCS remains uncertain.
If the team wins games, you can almost be sure Froggen will be responsible for it.
At Dignitas, there is actually a lack of a player in every role who poses a significant threat to opponents. Shiphtur is known for playing passively. Apollo also plays rather average, and Kiwikid had strong problems performing at an LCS level last season.
Together with the two relatively unknown imports from EU-West, this team looks very weak on paper. However, Kirei has shown at IEM in Cologne that he can play well. Whether that’s enough for the team remains to be seen.
The problem with this team is that they couldn’t find a buyer for the slot in the LCS and now have to play with a sort of makeshift lineup. This includes 3 unknown players: Feng – ranked player from North America, Pirean – ranked player from Korea, and Proxcin, who only played a short time with a Japanese team.
DontMashMe and Gate are, more or less, the hope of the team. If I had to rank this team based on this information, it would probably be at the very bottom. However, surprises are always possible.
All in all, I am very curious about the new lineups and how the synergy of these teams in the NA LCS will work. Which team are you looking forward to the most? Have you gained a new favorite team for this season in LoL due to a specific player transfer?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
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?
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
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 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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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.
Crowfall
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.
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
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
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
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
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
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.
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?
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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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.
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.
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.
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 & 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.
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.
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.
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:
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:
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.
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 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.
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.
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.”
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.
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
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.
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.”
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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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.
There’s new Ghosts in the Summoning Pits, and “Helm of Krolok” got renamed, could this be a future Phogoth drop? pic.twitter.com/n2zoDoB3KF
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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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