Realistic action in ancient China? War Rage offers an exciting concept between RPG and real-time strategy.
When the Shogun Knocks at the Door …
Looking ahead to the next MMO year, there are primarily releases of MOBAs and hero shooters on the horizon, while other genres are left a bit short. However, for those who enjoy large, realistic battles and have a penchant for ancient China, 2016 could hold a real hidden gem.
Great tactician or tough brawler? In War Rage, you have to be both.
War Rage is the game from developer NetEase and lives up to its name. Players take control of a commander and must command large troop formations during the Ming Dynasty in ancient China to achieve victory over their enemies. The game is supposed to be a mix of real-time strategy combined with RPG elements.
In addition to placing and commanding entire troop formations, the general must also be led into battle, fighting on the front lines (and should urgently do so).
In a nearly 15-minute video, one of the developers walks through some gameplay scenes and explains it all – unfortunately in Chinese. However, it is sufficient for a first impression, although one should keep in mind that this is a very early version of the game.
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Several publishers in the West have already expressed interest in bringing the game to our regions. However, the developers want to focus first on the Chinese version and make it as “perfect as possible.” This includes various PvP modes and level systems to give troops and commanders more power. Ultimately, they aim to see the game on consoles as well – but there is still a lot of work ahead.
Mein-MMO states: Numerous cool details, such as the crouching of different rows of archers or the precise swordsmanship, will likely excite many fans of this era. However, whether the game is suitable for the masses remains to be seen, as from the first impression, the action on the screen appears somewhat chaotic and confusing. However, War Rage is also not yet in a public test, so one should probably wait for a later version to get a clearer picture of it.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
During the presentation, the presenters repeatedly say that everything is still quite raw. They have full understanding for anyone who wants to check it out later. By then, Paragon will surely be more “polished.”
Polished or not – there are impressions of the gameplay: a travel mode (a kind of sprint), a card system to adjust abilities, and a jungle (They must be crazy!) is also included in the surprise package.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
That in the upcoming space MMO Star Citizen you can sink a lot of money, is already evident from the prices for the spaceships. Now there is also access to an exclusive in-game club.
However, it can still get more expensive. Because those who purchased a special backer package for 10,000 US dollars in 2012 gain access to an exclusive club in the game, the Million Mile High Club. This club is located in the persistent universe of the game. Those who did not pay the 10,000 dollars are not allowed in unless invited by a member. For the club, the developers have flexed their graphical muscles and offer visuals that you currently only see in AAA shooters. In the club, you meet like-minded individuals, relax, swap stories, and tell each other jokes. It is a place where you can recover from adventures and just catch your breath.
Whether it is worth it, however, each person must decide for themselves. After all, you do not pay 10,000 dollars just for access to the club. This was merely part of the respective package. However, there might also be other ways to gain access to the Million Mile High Club later. Perhaps Cloud Imperium Games will then sell access separately, although hopefully not for 10,000 dollars. Maybe you can also earn access through some achievements that you work for. It would certainly be a shame if new players never got to see the Million Mile High Club.
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Japanese humor combined with commercials? A holy alliance for World of Warships.
A little fun is a must …
That the publisher Wargaming adapts quite well to the respective country in which it wants to promote its products has been proven several times. Particularly the Japanese clip for World of Tanks caused quite a stir at the time and also brought some chuckles here in the West.
Now Wargaming is also promoting “World of Warships” in Japan with a suitable commercial that of course strikes the same humorous tone.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjOnAEHqsks
You only understand the little gag at the end if you’ve already seen the other spot – not a silly idea to link various advertisements with a small story.
After some statements on reddit that the challenge was different this week, the first streamers have now confirmed: The challenge is exactly the same as the first time the Warpriest was active. So it can also be completed by players who finished it the first time. And there will be rewards again.
T3 Boss in the Hall of Oryx is Balwur
The Tier-3 boss in the Hall of Oryx this week is the witch Balwur.
Guides, Tips, Tricks, Videos from this week’s challenges
We will present you with videos of successful runs against the enemies waiting for your Guardians throughout the day. You can pick up some tricks – or just enjoy.
You can see how the Nightfall strike of the Undying Mind goes this week in this video.
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Warhammer 40k: Eternal Crusade has been expanded with a new battlefield – a frosty atmosphere reigns.
Directly from the closed Alpha
In the 41st millennium, there is only war. Well, and game development, obviously. But it is quite bloody. A first look at the Alpha of Warhammer 40k: Eternal Crusade has been available in recent weeks, and now there is a brand new trailer. It is not only quite bloody, but also shows a new arctic map where Space Marines and their slightly chaotic opponents battle it out.
The followers of the Emperor are not particularly delicate with each other, as on the Pegasus Station, they often shoot downed enemies in the face. Blood for the Blood God… and so on.
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The final version of the game is expected to include expansive open-world PvP, but currently, the developer Behaviour is still testing the core mechanics of the game on closed maps.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
How will the Worgen Grey Mane play in Heroes of the Storm? And how can you access the new spectator interface? We will reveal it to you.
Grey Mane rushes ahead of his howl
The release of Lunara was barely a week ago, but there is already much talk about the next hero of Heroes of the Storm: Grey Mane, the leader of Gilneas and a victim of the Worgen curse. We have already discussed in detail the abilities of the shapeshifting assassin. Now the folks at Curse have decided to create a small preview video for it, which we would like to show you.
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Blizzard is currently working with community member Ahli to fundamentally revise the existing spectator feature and its corresponding interface. A hint of this was already seen during BlizzCon when the matches were presented there.
More info at a glance – or is it too cluttered?
However, anyone who wants to try out the new interface will still have to manually install it quite cumbersome – but this is indeed supported by Blizzard (they advertise it on their site) to gather feedback. You can find a guide on how to install the new features on the official Blizzard homepage.
New Legendary Skin?
Lastly, there is a first look at a new skin for the bony warrior Leoric. Apparently, this is a legendary skin, as not only numerous animations are updated, but also a new voice is used. Additionally, there are unique graphics when using his abilities. In this case, the skin will probably cost a hefty €15 – similar to the infected Tychus. A release date for this is still pending.
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In this week’s Destiny, videos featuring Titans as the main characters were particularly highlighted as the videos of the week. The Titans of Destiny showcase what they’re capable of.
But not only Titans are capable of remarkable moments in the Crucible. “I can’t believe this worked out,” says a Warlock. Something nasty comes from the air – but this time, it’s not a Fist of Chaos. That is our video of the week.
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The next video we want to recommend shows the so-called “boomerang” effect, which occasionally occurs, especially among friends of truth. http://youtu.be/qddoNpMGJp0
And so that PvE fans don’t miss out: Jazzier never died Oryx!
Following the motto “In competitive games, you have to do so much for a piece, but we want such legendary tanks to be played, so we gift one to everyone who logs in from December 18 to January 3.”
It is kindly stated: “The old generation of tank games” … clearly pointed at whom it targets: World of Tanks.
Why can such tanks be given away in Armored Warfare while they can’t in other games? Well, the Type 59 tank is historically rooted in the 1950s. Other military MMOs focus on World War II. Therefore, the Type 59 tank is “at the end of the food chain,” a killer endgame machine.
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In Armored Warfare, you start only at the end of World War II; the Type 59 tank is a premium tier 3 model – in the category of “advanced beginner.” However, it comes with a rank 5 crew, which is the highest level. But of course: It can be given away.
Patch 0.12 turns every tank into a “Premium” tank … for an extra fee
Last week, an update 0.12 was released. The most important change: For an extra fee of gold (the real money currency), players can turn any “normal” tank of tier 3 or higher into a “combat-experienced tank,” which then grants more credit points, reputation, and the crew also gets more exp per match. Normally, such bonuses are reserved for real money tanks.
This is certainly interesting for Armored Warfare, as resources to unlock new tanks do come over time, but credits, the money for new tanks, are often scarce.
Additionally, 3 new PvE missions (Hydra, Sapphire, and Starry Night) have been introduced, and the spawning behavior of the previous ones has been slightly modified. Previously, PvE missions were sometimes a bit like “Memory,” a criticism from our review, now there is chaos: Why isn’t there a tank coming? One always used to come. What 0.12 brought otherwise, you can read here in the patch notes for Armored Warfare.
The end of the year is approaching. This is reason enough for some indie developers to take a look at 2016 and explain what fans of games like World of Darkness, Crowfall, or Shroud of the Avatar can look forward to.
The chances for an MMORPG are slim, but not entirely hopeless. The company is currently considering whether it can use the already developed assets: More information on this will be available at a later date.
Also in the works is a new pen-and-paper RPG with a new backstory for World of Darkness, as well as a trading card game and new novels.
Project Gorgon
The highly anticipated MMORPG Project Gorgon is set to launch as an early access game on Steam next year. The developers need to make some adjustments to the game, primarily to facilitate onboarding. They are wisely utilizing the funds from their Kickstarter campaign; however, they want to visually enhance the game, which can only be achieved if they generate enough revenue during the early access phase. Fans will have to wait a bit longer for Project Gorgon.
The developers of the highly interesting PvP MMORPG Crowfall are currently teasing the community with some hints about a major upcoming reveal. The hint: “Its offer was simple: Eternal life for eternal service.”
There has been speculation that a permadeath system could be introduced, but the developers have since denied this. One can look forward to what this major revelation for the MMORPG Crowfall could be. Additionally, siege wars are expected to be introduced in February.
Shroud of the Avatar
Portalarium, the development studio behind the upcoming selective multiplayer RPG Shroud of the Avatar, provided an outlook on the upcoming pre-alpha phases. Particularly interesting is that by the end of March, the offline mode of the game is expected to launch.
From then on, they will begin implementing features exclusive to this mode, ensuring that SotA also plays like a true single-player RPG upon release. Furthermore, the developers have stated that the alpha phase is not expected to start before the second quarter of 2016.
Darkfall: Unholy Wars
The developers of the MMORPG Darkfall: Unholy Wars are currently contemplating whether to switch the business model of the online game to freemium. The subscription will not be abolished but only offered as optional, as many MMOs do currently. Those who take out a subscription will enjoy some advantages, while those who wish to play for free can do so with some limitations. Whether this will happen is not yet certain. They want to wait for community feedback on this proposal first.
Despite Christmas, we will again check next week what has been happening with the indie MMOs.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In the hack-and-slash Diablo 3, Blizzard has now commented on the consoles Xbox One and Playstation 4. When will they get the new patch 2.4?
Diablo 3 is for many a typical PC title, but the console players on Xbox One and Playstation 4 are also hunting in Sanctuary for loot, albeit without seasons and but with more cheating issues. With all the discussions around the new patch and season 5, they often feel left out. Now there are clear answers from Blizzard via Twitter.
@feuermathdoc Nope! Nearly everything you see (with the notable exception of info on seasons) will be coming to PS4 and Xbox One.
The patch 2.4 will also be released on Playstation 4 and Xbox One and “Basically include everything that the PC patch brings.” Except for the seasons. There will still be no seasons for consoles – even though it was considered at one point.
In Lord of the Rings Online we celebrate the icy season with the Yule Festival – grab unique rewards before it’s too late!
Familiar Fun and New Steed
As in many other games, the holiday season is also celebrated in Lord of the Rings Online with the annual Yule Festival. As in previous years, the joyful event takes place again in Winter-home, where Hobbits and Elves can indulge in typical activities to earn numerous rewards.
Among the various attractions and rewards are:
A Theater Visit, where you can let the actors know what you think of their performance afterwards.
Hot (or rather cold) Snowball Fights in duels against friends and foes.
The Steed of Winter’s Winds awaits those who diligently participate in the Frost-crest events.
There’s also a small quest chain this year that features an alternative ending. Those who helped the rich last year might want to decide differently this time …
If you have little time over the holidays, you don’t need to stress unnecessarily – the Yule Festival will remain active until January 10, 2016, and will end only afterwards.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The sights in Destiny sometimes drive players crazy. Somehow, there are countless different targeting systems, and the exotic weapons have their own. It shouldn’t be that hard: find the crosshair, place the head of the opponent in the center, and then pull the trigger. Right?
In a video, a YouTuber explains: 90% of you are using the MIDA Multi-Tool incorrectly. You think, you need to place the arrow on the opponent’s face to land a critical hit. But that’s wrong! Even though you occasionally land a critical hit that way, the actual trick is: you have to put a little hat on them with the arrow.
For Crits: Just put a hat on the players
This is because the aiming device, the crosshair, of the MIDA Multi-Tool was modeled after a “real sight” from our world, and it works like that – with many arrows and stuff.
The YouTuber said: I read this somewhere. (The tip originally comes from an article on the fan site Planet Destiny.) I didn’t want to believe it at first, but it’s true – it works. Since I learned this, I can reliably score critical hits, making the MIDA a 4 shots-per-kill weapon.
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TERA gifts players with beautiful items for Christmas – even a free character slot is included. But time is running out!
5 Gifts, 5 Minutes of Effort
If you are still not quite sure whether to give TERA a second (or now a third) chance, you will get some good incentives to throw the game back onto your hard drive this holiday.
Every player who enters the code “Winter2015” in the corresponding section on the Gameforge account management page will receive the following three items:
Log in, enter the code, and grab the gifts!
A permanent blue tassel hat
Jelena’s checkered scarf (for 30 days)
2 Valor Potions
The code can be redeemed until Friday, January 8, 2016, after which the opportunity will be lost.
If that seems like too much effort or if you simply have no interest in this toy, you might be enticed by a different campaign.
Until December 27, every player who logs into TERA will receive a free character slot to try out the Stormwing. On top of that, the majestic Snow Tiger will be available as a permanent mount!
More about the game and the new class, the Stormwing, can be found on our TERA theme page.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In partnership with Star Trek Online (PC), we are giving away starships worth 600 Euros for the SF-MMO.
The Valiant Pack normally costs 30 Euros. Valiant is a tactical escort ship of class 6 and belongs to the 3 new class-6 starships that came to Star Trek Online. The Klingons flaunt a new Bird of Prey, the Romulans rejoice over a Warbird, and the Federation receives reinforcements with the Valiant class.
And we are giving away 30 of these packages in collaboration with Star Trek Online.
How to participate in the giveaway and win a Valiant Pack
To enter the draw, you just need to provide a valid email address and confirm it. The deadline for participation is December 24, 2015, at 12:00 PM. Those who win will receive a message with the winner code – just in time for the holiday season.
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The giveaway runs through Godankey, data will not be stored for commercial purposes, but only used for the email dispatch of the keys. Participation is free and the legal process is excluded.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The MMO year had its ups and downs. Today we focus on the downs. What disappointed us the most in 2015?
Creating MMOs and MMORPGs is an extremely difficult business. There are often problems, conflicts with players, something gets delayed or just doesn’t work. Today we look back at the year 2015: What were the major disappointments?
But by the end of the year, cracks started to show. The hype turned out to be a flash in the pan, and it only smoldered after a series of blunders and issues from the Western publisher Trion Worlds. By the end of 2014, the Korea port only earned mockery and schadenfreude. The errors made were too absurd, and the cash shop was too brazen. Without test servers, development was pushed ahead blindly to strike while the iron was hot: The consequences were disastrous.
Overall, ArcheAge has become a dark chapter in the MMO history of the last 2 years due to the many problems with the port, handling the community, and with the cash shop. It’s still a shame because the game itself has so much potential and fans who can overlook all that are still occupied and happy.
It remains a great “What if?” – What if a publisher had patiently and quietly brought “ArcheAge” to market instead of hastily chasing the hype that slipped like sand through their fingers? Currently, people almost only talk about ArcheAge as “We have learned from our mistakes” and as “We don’t want to do it like ArcheAge anymore.” – Also a legacy.
The latest Paladins update has the pro players cheering with joy – eSports is practically underway!
Build Your Own Decks
The latest update of Paladins ensures that the hero shooter from HiRez is unstoppable on its way to eSports. After weeks of only being able to play the “Siege” mode, where primarily the basic functionality was tested, players can now create their own decks. But what does this mean for the game?
Coincidence? Barely Possible!
The Beta Patch 10 of Paladins allows players to create fully independent decks now. Until now, players have always drawn completely random cards during matches as long as they were in their collection. Now every player can set their own deck for each character and thus determine 100% which cards they will receive at any given time in the game. This opens the door for eSports and competitive tournaments, and the community is already actively working on strategies and deck variants in the official forum to make the most of the various characters.
From now on, it gets competitive – free choice of decks!
Since HiRez doesn’t do things by halves, they are also giving the starting signal for the first official tournament. While only founders and other beta players will have access to it – after all, the game is not yet released – there is already $100,000 at stake.
“This is our signal to competitive players: We need you to make Paladins an eSport!” says the official announcement.
The first tournament is set to take place in spring 2016.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
On one hand, the quest giver that accompanies me is a black cloud with red eyes, who speaks to me in a Korean sing-song child voice, making my teeth hurt … and on the other hand, there is an “autoplay to the next quest” feature in Black Desert. My previous experience has conditioned me to associate this automatically with “cheap, lousy Asian MMOs”.
However, the graphics and sound in the game seemed high quality and really good from the start. So do I have the best cheap Asian MMO of all time in front of me?
The first half hour of Black Desert was deleted later
Well, with autoplay and my long-standing MMO routine of switching off my brain and slaughtering, I quickly completed the first quests and decimated the typical crap: I worked my way up from a beetle to a weasel, fox, and wolf!
I found the combat system pleasantly intuitive and fast. My first half hour of Black Desert ended with me waiting in a field with 400 other players to finally catch imps I needed for a quest: a typical bottleneck quest that was totally over-farmed.
So I logged out, preferring to serve the fans of a certain MMO shooter the first news of the day … they always shake when they don’t get their shot.
When I logged back in that evening, I was met with a surprise. My giant, my hero, had simply disappeared and could not be found even through intense calling and repeated “looking in the same place”: so I had to start all over again and have since had a little panic attack every time I log out.
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Over the weekend, I logged into Black Desert more often and encountered no problems, instead, the game showed itself from a very interesting side. In contrast to “Blade and Soul”, which you can immediately dive into, Black Desert requires you to play it “slower” and “more attentively” due to some peculiarities in gameplay mechanics. While in “Skyforge” I felt like I was in a place I know and understand after 20 minutes, in Black Desert, after 8 or 9 hours, I still don’t feel that way. It remains a foreign world that can surprise me with new gameplay mechanics and ideas.
It is a game that I currently trust a lot. Interesting experience again – the last time I felt this way was a year and a half ago with ArcheAge .
By “talking” with NPCs through a kind of mini-game, you can unlock new quests. It’s all about “Knowledge” of recipes, locations, enemies, secrets – you accumulate this knowledge by going somewhere, talking to people, or crafting something. The crafting system, which I could only glimpse, seems really interesting. And the fights so far are really “satisfying” as you feel the power of your character.
I particularly appreciate the “login screen” that provides you with information about NPCs you have met. Additionally, it gives a great and clear view of the area you are currently in. Plus, there’s great music – it really has something! And as I said … the combat system, especially against multiple opponents.
http://youtu.be/cq0rkfAHz-I
Overall, Black Desert seems foreign, interesting, and absolutely high-quality to me in the first days. So it’s not a “cheap game”, despite quest autoplay, but feels like a wholesome meal from the Far East. I’m already looking forward to spending significantly more time with the game at launch and exploring the gameplay mechanics.
In MechWarrior Online, people talk about the difficult past and how the future will make everything better. The beginning is a tutorial system.
Two Years Full of Problems
The Free2Play game MechWarrior Online has rarely shone in a good light. Many critics have torn it apart: There were numerous complaints and often the game seemed to go silent, which discouraged even the hardest fans of the series. In an extensive interview with mmorpg.com, the president of Piranha Games, Russ Bullock, recently talked about the problems that they had with the game over the last two years – but he also has high hopes for the future.
If the First Impression Fails
In the conversation, it was first about why MechWarrior Online was perceived so negatively by many. The first impression of the game was poor and only those who really spent a lot of time with the game could gradually get used to it and have fun with it. Bullock emphasizes, above all, that the game has significantly evolved since then. “You could see the trailers over the last two years. And now it is really, at least I think so, a completely different product with depth and many great features.”
Speed is Everything
A while ago, the development of MechWarrior Online was still under the auspices of Infinite Games – and they apparently had a much different vision for the development of the game than is now the case. Russ emphasizes how great it is now to “have a meeting in the middle of the week and already implement initial things by the end of the week. (…) We need this speed nowadays. It’s 2015, game development has changed massively. (…) You have to involve your players and be able to respond quickly to feedback.”
Furthermore, it is said: “We communicated too little with the players. We will do better in the future.”
The Future – Tutorials and Beginner Help
In the near future, they want to release the next big update of the game, as the friendliness for newcomers has so far been the massive problem of the title. It had such a steep learning curve that many players lost all fun after just a few minutes. Along with an extensive tutorial, there will also be the Mech Academy, where players can go through various training programs for many hours.
The makers of Gigantic are writing an open letter and seem to want to secure trust before it disappears.
The roadmap for 2016
Fans of Gigantic, the hero shooter currently being developed by Motiga, have had to endure some disappointments in recent weeks. The studio has laid off a total of 16 employees, which certainly casts a shadow on the development status of a game. At the same time, it has been revealed that a timely release is likely not possible, pushing the date to “sometime” in 2016.
To avoid making this situation seem darker than it already is, a new developer letter has been published to the community, discussing plans and goals for the new year at least somewhat.
In particular, they wanted to highlight the changes to the game that will happen “soon”:
Better matchmaking algorithms to provide a better player experience.
“Major changes” to the power increase of Guardians to create more exciting matches.
At least one new hero, a new map, and a new summonable creature.
The first part of an account progression system to make playing more enjoyable and to unlock various rewards.
Numerous gameplay adjustments to make movement in the game fun again: reduced stamina costs for sprinting, removal of penalties for jumping when out of stamina, and more.
For the time after these changes (which do not yet have a fixed date), they plan to comprehensively polish the game before moving on to the next steps. In the end, they even attempt to possibly regain lost trust: “It’s no longer enough to promise something special or to have fleeting moments where the game meets expectations. It’s time for all parts to come together.”
It remains to be seen whether they can keep their word.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
