The upcoming MMO Crowfall is a very interesting candidate for fans of PvP battles. The next pre-alpha phase has now started, and the developers are steering towards the next production phase.
Yesterday, Thursday, the new pre-alpha phase of the MMORPG Crowfall started, in which 4,000 players can currently participate. The core elements of the game, group play, and the combat system are being tested. New in this phase is the Champion as an additional class. He is a warrior that can literally crush his opponents.
He is referred to as a “massive skull-crusher, towering over his enemies and pulverizing everything in his path” and represents the currently fourth playable archetype alongside the Knight, the Confessor, and the Myrmidon. Additionally, in this alpha phase, the graphics are being improved. The environments are about 90 percent designed, with the remaining 10 percent to follow in the coming weeks.
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It’s progressing, nearly 6 million dollars for development!
The developers of the so-called throne war simulation also explain that they are now entering the next phase of the game’s development. “We are in a critical phase of development,” explains Gordon Walton, ArtCraft founder and Executive Producer of Crowfall. “In this round, we are testing core elements such as monsters and group combat. We are also improving performance to make combat more direct and intense.” Furthermore, it states: “Our team philosophy is: Deliver more than expected. As with our last test, we reveal more features and more content than announced – and we do it on time,” says J. Todd Coleman, ArtCraft founder and Creative Director of Crowfall.
The MMORPG Crowfall can look back on a successful Kickstarter campaign, but the crowdfunding continues. The amount raised by fans to finance the MMO now stands at almost 6 million US dollars. A beta will start next year, for which more than 95,000 players have already registered on the official website.
https://youtu.be/vBOkezliLU4
P.S. If you’re wondering: The Crowfall website is currently being gradually excluded from Google’s search results via a command in the source code. Is that intentional?
@CrowfallGame Hey guys, you have set a “noindex” robots tag, thus kicked yourself out of the Google index. On purpose?
Today we want to know from you which aspect of MMOs you actually like the most – PvE or PvP?
So much to defeat – but who?
For some the greatest fun, for others incredibly boring – raiding in MMOs.
Once again, we have gloriously survived a week and left the stressful everyday work behind us. What could be better than frolicking in one of the countless online worlds, letting your fingers fly over the keyboard and simply emptying some opponents’ HP bars?
But in most games, there is more than just a specific task. No matter if you are exploring the Nexus of WildStar, the vast world of World of Warcraft, the planet Shear in Evolve, or any other world, players can almost always choose between two major areas: PvE and PvP.
Today we ask you: Do you prefer PvE or PvP? What do you like better about one than the other?
Are you seeking glory more in PvE or PvP?
Cortyn says: I’m quite ambivalent about this question. Until a few years ago, I thought that games without a PvE component would have a tough time, but especially MOBAs have convinced me otherwise, and in shooters like Evolve, I could easily do without battles against bots.
In MMORPGs, the situation looks completely different. Alone, because story constitutes one of the most important elements of these games for me, I couldn’t manage without PvE components. At the same time, I sometimes enjoy “mindless grinding” just to unwind and listen to a podcast or an audiobook.
The thrill of the hunt – that’s what Cortyn loves about PvP.
On the other hand, I love PvP. I love the thrill of competing against other players and constantly improving myself. Even seemingly “stupid” actions in Heroes of the Storm are funny when you know that a player on the opposing side must be laughing just as much at their mistake as you are at your own. I enjoy lurking in Evolve or roaming around with my Esper in the battlefields of WildStar – all too often that’s the only reason I log in (apart from RP, which you never let me get away with anyway!)
Or to put it simply: Well-designed PvE pulls me into a game, and well-designed PvP keeps me there.
But enough about me, let’s talk about you: What do you like best in games? Do you enjoy the constant thrill of battling against other players or are you more in search of perfection in the battle against raid bosses? Let us know in the comments and discuss eagerly!
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Numerous videos provide a first impression of all the existing characters of the team shooter Paladins by HiRez.
7 Heroes in Preview
A few days ago, the closed beta version of Paladins was launched and the chosen players can now roam in the team shooter. Those who do not want to wait for luck can also enter the beta by purchasing a starter pack for €20. The folks from mmoculture have released several gameplay videos featuring the various characters, which we want to present to you here, along with the (sometimes really funny) backstories of the heroes.
Ruckus – A Goblin in Elven Armor
When the Elven King Boltanas died, he sealed his soul in a sword to continue defending the people against the goblins even after death. Unfortunately, the goblin Ruckus found this sword, melted it down, and built a mech from it, with which he now rampages across the battlefields. A hard fate for the old king, who is constantly reminded of how much he hates the green-skinned folk by the goblin even in armored form.
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Raised in Cobalt Keep, Cassie is the daughter of the legendary hunter Arturos. Since coercion does not fit into the plans of the redhead at all, she has sneaked away with her bow and her faithful bird Zigs to experience her own adventures.
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Like all dwarves, Barik is loud, offensive, and not particularly sensitive. Exactly the right traits to plunder ancient ruins to get to the buried treasures. His own inventions serve only the purpose of enrichment, and he has now made a name for himself throughout the area of Crosswind Hold. Famous and notorious at the same time.
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Normally, assassins try to operate in secret and let no one know of their deeds. Not so Skye, the elf was trained by the Silver Moons monks and has since broken every vow she once made. Skye loves the attention of all and strives to get more of it.
Especially wives should watch their husbands, as a single glance from her is said to be capable of breaking men’s hearts. That she looks a little like Widowmaker from Overwatch is surely just coincidence.
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Pip did not make many friends when he decided to steal the secret of liquid fire from the alchemists of the Iron Shrine. With this secret, he now possesses great power, but also constant pursuers on his heels, whom he is trying to escape.
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For an orc, Grohk has always been a little strange. The other orcs could make nothing of him and were even glad when he left the Fire Orc tribe. When he returned, they laughed at him, as he claimed to be the prophet of Vex, the god of lightning. When Grohk executed them all with lightning, the laughter ceased. Now he travels the world as a shaman of the lightning orcs, trying to interpret the will of his god.
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Fernando is a true gentleman. So courteous that he even crowned himself a knight to ensure he does good deeds in the world. He loves to tell stories about himself and his heroic deeds (which he still has to achieve). Besides that, he chases nearly every damsel in distress. Yes, even his shield surely just coincidentally looks like Reinhardt’s from Overwatch (who is also a knight…).
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In the future, there will be more hero classes (or as it is officially called: “Champions”) added to the game. For now, however, they want to test and balance the existing characters.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In the MMO shooter Destiny on Friday, November 20th, the alien Xur will offer his wares. What exotic weapons and armor does he have this time?
Last night, Bungie announced the December patch, which will also bring new exotic items. Mainly, Guardians are likely to see some old acquaintances from Year 1 again, but there are also supposed to be two new Year 2 exotics. Additionally, patch 2.1 will shake up the weapon balance; hand cannons and auto rifles will become stronger, while pulse rifles will become weaker.
There was one consequential mistake. They promised that “the raids will be more challenging.” Many excitedly thought, “Raids! Plural!!” and that also applies to the old raids, the Glass Vault and Crota’s End. But game director Luke Smith quickly burst that balloon: No, the Challenge Mode is only coming to King’s Fall.
All about Xur, Agent of the Nine, on November 20, November 21, November 22
When does Xur arrive and when does he leave again?
Xur arrives on November 20th at 10:00 AM in the Tower or the Reef of Destiny. He leaves on November 22nd, Sunday, at 10:00 AM.
Where is Xur?
Xur is at the jukebox.
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The developers of the sandbox MMORPG Albion Online have now presented the revised combat system in more detail.
In Albion Online, there are no predefined classes. You determine your role through your equipment. If you wear armor and carry a sword, you are a warrior. If you take off your clothes and grab a pickaxe, you are a craftsman and gather resources. This classless system is also transferred to the combat in the game. During the summer alpha, testers could already try out this combat system.
Clearly visible: This character wears a mage equipment, making them more or less one.
A lot of feedback from this test has now led the developers of Albion Online to expand the combat. In particular, armor and weapons are supposed to be given more variety and depth. The system aims to allow players to shape their characters in such a way that they can take on certain roles in combat depending on their equipment.
More specializations will be possible
To take on even more specific roles in combat, new equipment items have been introduced. The introduction of light and heavy armor sets, as well as a complete overhaul of the spells on items and weapons, enriches the combat. Until now, the individual “builds” played very similarly, which is supposed to change due to the revision.
Light armors ensure that, for example, damage is boosted. Someone wearing light armor and using daggers as weapons will become a deadly assassin. On the other hand, those wearing heavy armor can withstand a lot of damage and can therefore plunge directly into battle to prevent, for example, wizards from casting their spells. A new video explains exactly how the revised combat will play out.
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In the MMO shooter Destiny, new exotic items are coming soon, and the weapon balance is also changing.
The Weekly Update was released late last night, around 2 AM. However, there was some information shared.
New Exotic Items in December
With the December Update, new exotic items will be introduced. Most likely, these will be weapons and armor from Year 1 that are now getting a Year 2 version. Some of these items will contain surprises, so they will not simply correspond 1:1 to the old items.
The Refer-a-Friend program, which includes two emotes, a shader, and similar rewards, is set to start on November 23rd. That’s next Monday. They want to explain in more detail how it will work. It seems like the friend needs to buy the game Destiny for the program.
This is how Destiny is changing the weapon balance with Patch 2.1
The vast majority of information was shared about the new weapon balance. These changes are coming in December, along with other items like Worm Spore and Aetheric. They explicitly mention the Titan, as they will also share thoughts on that. But first, the planned changes to weapon types.
Auto Rifles will deal more damage, increasing their base damage by between 3 and 7% – depending on the type. Those with medium fire rate, like the Zhalo Supercell, benefit the most from the buff at 7%.
Pulse Rifles will lose 2-9% damage (most losing 8%). However, this is primarily intended for PvP; in PvE, the damage multiplier will increase. The problem with the weapons is that they are currently so strong that they leave no room for the other 3 primary weapons.
For Hand Cannons, accuracy will be increased when the player aims down sights.
For Shotguns, reload time and the time it takes to ready the shotgun will increase. Additionally, the speed will decrease when moving with the shotgun. In PvE, damage will increase. Shooting while sprinting will take 2 frames longer. Damage reduction at range has also been adjusted.
For Fusion Rifles, PvE damage will be increased, but they will have less ammunition and the weapon will be made more predictable: they will have reduced stability when fired from the hip, but more when aiming down sights. Slowly charging fusion rifles like the Thesan FR4 should be useful at long range, which will require anticipating enemy movements. Quickly charging fusion rifles should be more suited for close range.
For Sniper Rifles Roulette will only increase the damage of precision hits (likely to nerf the Body Shot Eirene), and damage reduction at distance will be minimal, unless they are “really, really far away.””>
Sidearms will be quicker to draw and ready to fire.
This is how Destiny is changing the exotic weapons with 2.1
The First Curse will gain more range, and the namesake perk will bring more stability, greater aim assist, and the damage drop-off will occur at greater distance. Oh, and the magazine will be refilled. The perk activates upon achieving precision kills. It’s basically the scout rifle among hand cannons.
Fallen Moon will have less range, and the “bonus bullets” will only deal 1.2 times damage instead of 1.3 times as before. Due to the “aim down sights” change, the weapon had otherwise been too strong.
The Chaperone will inflict less base damage but will increase precision damage.
The Fabian Strategy will be fundamentally redesigned. Stability and reloading will be improved, the perk “Frontlines” will now max out the rate of fire, but the bullet damage will change to a different value, making the weapon a rapid-fire weapon. The “Frontlines” perk activates when “the enemy is near.” The old version of the perk had so little “noticeable effect” that many considered it buggy.
The Black Spindle will no longer have a scope upgrade grid (only one scope available), but will have upgrades for the barrel.
Sleeper Simulant will get 9 instead of 7 ammunition, and the weapon now benefits from armor perks that increase heavy ammo.
More about the Raid next week
So much for the Weekly Update; next week, there will be information about the challenge mode in the raids.
Today, on 20.11 at 0:00, the Hearthstone fun continues. In the second wing of the adventure “The League of Explorers,” players are taken to the ancient ruins of Uldaman. In the ancient ruins of the Titans, the world shapers conducted initial investigations and creations of various species, such as the Troggs and the predecessors of the Dwarves. In these ruins, the second part of the Staff of Origination must be found. Overall, players must go through 3 different bosses or events.
In Uldaman, the hunt for the Staff continues.
The first battle is against the Trogg Leader Scarvash, who greatly increases the cost of all spells. In the second encounter, there is a crazy ride in a minecart, where Brann Bronzebeard actively assists the players. The final battle is against Archaedas, a construct created by the Titans to guard this place. As a guardian should, he summons numerous statues that can benefit both the player and the boss.
These cards are waiting for you
Those who complete the challenges of the second wing will be rewarded with new cards.
Chieftain Scarvash
Chieftain Scarvash
Mine Cart
Mine Cart
Archaedas
Brann Bronzebart ist das neue Legendary des Flügels.
Tera improves the player experience for newcomers in Europe, while in America they are already planning the next patch.
New Island, New Story
In the MMORPG Tera, the publisher Gameforge finally follows suit and released the latest patch today. This brings not only the new starting area of the Dream Tree Island but also numerous improvements, such as to character creation, chat channels, or the returning experience for veterans who have been abstinent from Tera for a while. We have already reported extensively on the innovations.
On the new island, it is harmonious – for a few minutes.
Soon, Fists Will Fly
In the USA, preparations for the next patch are already underway.
Besides the brawler, the patch will also bring two new instances, one of which is a creepy mission on stormy seas that leads across several ships (Kalivan’s Dreadnaught), and the other is a creepy, abandoned island (Forsaken Island) that holds many secrets.
There is still no European date for the new class.
More about the game and the current patches can be found on our TERA topic page.
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The survival MMO with dinosaurs Ark: Survival Evolved is set to come to Xbox One very soon.
Ark: Survival Evolved was the Steam hit of the summer on PC. Without preparation or marketing campaign, Ark appeared out of nowhere, riding the dino wave from the blockbuster film “Jurassic World” and conquered the PC platform Steam with impressive sales figures.
However, the optimization was not very good; you needed a monster PC to handle it. But it improved over time, and the developers proved to be diligent and close to their audience. Update after update was released, bringing more life to the survival game.
The questions from PlayStation 4 and Xbox One players grew louder: “When is Ark coming to us? When will it be available on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One? For a long time, the answer was: We definitely want to bring it. But only at the official release, around June 2016.
The problem: Ark was and still is in “Early Access,” in an early version. Sony and Microsoft do not offer such games on their platforms, at least it seemed that way for a long time. But at Gamescom, Microsoft announced: “Ark will come to Xbox One in winter, in an Early Access state.”
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Since then, nothing has been heard – until now. Studio WildCard announced that the release of the Xbox One version of Ark is “imminent.”
A release as part of the “Game Preview” program is planned. This should allow Xbox One players to try it for free. However, it is unclear whether this version will already include all features and updates from the PC version.
The complete launch of Ark on PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4 is scheduled for 2016.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
With Escape from Tarkov, the Russian development studio Battlestate Games is working on an online shooter that will also contain many RPG elements. Further details about the story of the game have now been revealed.
Escape from Tarkov places you in the fictional Oblast (large administrative district) of the city of Norvinsk. It is a trade zone that represents the transitional area between Russia and Europe. However, this attracted not only law-abiding companies.
Two years before the game events, a major scandal erupted due to a transatlantic corporation in Tarkov, the largest city in the province, which quickly escalated into an armed conflict between UN forces, the Russian military, and two private military companies. This led to the borders of the region being closed and all those involved in the war being cut off from the outside world.
Fight of the Private Armies!
In the meantime, Tarkov is still the scene of these conflicts. Different parties hire the two private armies for their purposes. The USEC works for the scandal-ridden Terra Group and aims to use armed force to hinder authorities from uncovering the company’s machinations. The BEAR organization, on the other hand, was founded on direct orders from the Russian government and is looking for evidence of illegal activities by the Terra Group as part of the local authorities.
In the city itself, panic reigns. While part of the population managed to flee, those who remained have joined armed gangs. They call themselves Scavs and get involved in the fights for the individual areas of the city. Moving freely in Tarkov is very dangerous as the bandits do not hesitate to kill innocents.
A Mercenary Between the Fronts
You are a former mercenary who can decide whether to work for BEAR or USEC. You will face not only the opposing faction and the Scavs, but also UN forces and the Russian military. Survival comes first, and of course, the escape from the city of Tarkov!
Escape from Tarkov will enter Closed Beta at the beginning of next year. You can already register for this on the official website of the online shooter.
In the MMO shooter Destiny , players on Xbox are increasingly encountering the error code “Vulture.” A patch is scheduled for this evening.
Bungie gives its errors cute animal names. Vulture isn’t exactly cute; it’s a buzzard. “Vulture” typically occurs when players try to play PvP or Coop without an Xbox Live Gold or PlayStation Plus membership. However, Xbox One players who do have Xbox Live Gold are currently also receiving this message.
Bungie has commented on the situation, stating : We are indeed noticing this more frequently. We are working with Microsoft on a solution. Those experiencing such issues should contact Bungie via a contact form and fill it out. Here is the contact form.
Apparently, the problem has increased since the last patch.
A new patch for Destiny is set to be released today, November 19th
A new patch for Destiny is scheduled for 7:00 PM this evening. At the moment, we do not know if it has anything to do with the “Vulture” problem or if it addresses something entirely different. Since there was already a patch just last Tuesday evening, it seems likely that it will be related to Vulture. There have also been issues with the inventory while checking the vault. And a bug with rare leg engrams had also appeared.
At 10AM PST on Thursday, November 19th, Destiny players may be asked to login again upon returning to orbit to download a patch.
Although the patch this evening will involve a download, it is unlikely to be associated with maintenance.
Update 19:20: The update is apparently here now and has temporarily removed the Iron Banner for some. But it is not gone; a restart should bring it back. According to initial reports, the bug with leg engrams has also been fixed. We will update you with the patch notes when they are available.
Update 19:40: The patch notes are here. The patch is called 2.0.2.1. The issue with leg engrams has been fixed – and the items from Lord Saladin should now display the correct perks. They were previously jumping and displayed randomly. No new information on Vulture.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The action MMORPG Blade & Soul has received a release date in the West. On January 19 at 6:00 AM our time, Blade and Soul officially launches in Europe and America. Anyone who purchases a student or master pack by January 11 will have an early start: They can begin on January 15.
You start with seven playable classes, 30 dungeons, and a duel arena, with the maximum level at 45.
It is planned to gradually bring the content that is already active in South Korea. There, a ninth class has been recently announced and they are already significantly further in the main story.
NCSoft points out that in the West, they will launch with the duel arena: The world championship in Blade & Soul as an esports event attracted 6000 people in South Korea. In 2016, European and North American teams should also be able to qualify for the event.
Blade and Soul launches in 2 months, but players won’t have to wait until January to get started. The next closed beta starts on November 24 and runs until November 30.
The most important articles about the launch of Blade and Soul:
This money is intended to be used to finance developments in the virtual reality sector. The company is already working on EVE: Valkyrie, a promising VR action game. Apparently, this has impressed the two investors New Enterprise Associates and Novator Partners LLP so much that they wish to continue supporting the company in this area.
“We have admired CCP for quite some time,” explains Harry Weller, one of the new partners. “Their legacy with EVE Online and the investments they have already made in VR have put them in a leadership position, and we want to work with them to continue developing the great platform they have already created.”
In addition to EVE: Valkyrie, CCP Games is currently also working on Gunjack, a VR game for mobile platforms. However, this is likely not the end. It is expected that the company will tackle even more VR games. Virtual reality is regarded by many as the next big technology in gaming. Valve could launch its VR headset Vive by the end of the year, Oculus Rift will follow in the first quarter of 2016. Sony will also release its own headset, Playstation VR, in the first half of next year.
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In Riots MOBA League of Legends (LoL), a hotfix has changed Graves and Kog’Maw, and nerfed the mastery Bloodthirst of the Warlord.
Anyone who has played League of Legends (LoL) in the last few days will have noticed that some champions have been significantly affected by the latest patch, benefiting greatly from it.
This has been revised with today’s hotfix as follows:
Graves – paralyzed by the nerf hammer
Graves was too strong with his base values and has now received the nerf hammer in the face. The initial damage and explosion damage of his Q ability have been reduced, and the mana costs for it increased. Additionally, he was moving a bit too fast, which is why his movement speed has been slightly reduced.
General
Movement speed: 345 → 340
Q – “Station End”
Initial damage: 60/80/100/120/140 → 55/70/85/100/115 Explosion damage: 90/155/220/285/350 → 85/145/205/265/325 Mana costs: 55/60/65/70/75 → 60/70/80/90/100 Mana
Kog’Maw – A bit stronger at the start
The trait that Kog’Maw should be “weak” at the start and “strong” at the end of a game has been taken a bit too literally. His attack values have now been increased slightly, so he stands out a bit more from a caster minion at the start of the game.
General:
Base attack speed: 0.625 → 0.665 Base attack damage: 54.46 → 57.46
Mastery Bloodthirst of the Warlord now only works on champions
Additionally, the mastery “Bloodthirst of the Warlord” has been modified so that healing now only triggers on critical hits to champions or their clones.
With Writ of the Thunderlord, a bug fix has been made. It should now work as intended when multiple players in the team have this trait.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The level booster from World of Warcraft is improved in Legion – try out the character first, then consume!
Level 100 – Trial Period in the Tutorial
The level booster was well received in Warlords of Draenor. With “Warlords of Draenor,” all buyers of the game could set a character directly to level 90. This was particularly helpful for players who hadn’t played for a long time and did not want to wade through outdated content first.
With Legion, there is a similar offer (for level 100), but they want to improve it even further. Many players do not know which class they actually want to play at a high level and whether it’s actually fun. The logical and quite user-friendly conclusion from this is:
The character can be tried out in the tutorial, only then is the boost consumed.
Who levels a character to level 100 can then play the Legion tutorial to get an impression of the class. Only after completing this tutorial (similar to the Tanaan scenario in WoD) is the character boost actually consumed, so one can still switch if in doubt. If someone realizes after a few quests that a priest isn’t as much fun as hoped, they can simply delete it and get their character upgrade back.
The latest patch of SWTOR infuriates players, 96 pages full of contempt against the developers clashed on the forum.
And suddenly we lay in the dust
The latest patch 4.0.2 of SWTOR: Knights of the Fallen Empire is not even two days old and emotions are already boiling over in the game’s forums. In line with the Sith saying “Let your anger guide you,” the players expressed their frustration and accumulated over 96 pages of complaints.
Players are putting pressure on BioWare. Many demand the reversal of the patch.
But what actually happened? Well, a small point in the patch notes is significantly graver than previously thought. “The damage and healing of companions has been reduced” it says, and it couldn’t be more misleading.
While companions were notably strong before the patch (and it was virtually impossible to die with a healing companion at your side), it seems that now the developers have gone too far.
Reports from players indicate that the healing of companions has been reduced by up to 80%. This makes it impossible to complete many group tasks on a planet where you have been downgraded – this was not a problem before the patch. Fans are now voicing their complaints loudly. “That’s not what we were sold with level synchronization!”
The rage is strong in some players – perfect real life Sith.
Especially players who liked to farm influence with their companion through weekly tasks (via group missions) now feel cheated, as they have to spend much more time on “boring, old content” than before.
It remains to be seen whether BioWare will make a U-turn here or leave players alone with the new values. Then we would have exactly the scenario that many feared before the introduction of the system.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The German bot manufacturer Bossland has made allegations against Blizzard in a statement, claiming they obtained the source code for their bot for Heroes of the Storm. Stormbuddy will be discontinued.
Bots in Blizzard games are “Made in Germany,” they come from Zwickau. Bossland GmbH is apparently the “market leader.” Honorbuddy, Demonbuddy, and Stormbuddy are the “products.”
Blizzard has been pursuing legal actions against Bossland in German courts for years. Things are not going very well for Blizzard in this regard. It’s a lengthy, complicated matter through all the instances. So far, Blizzard has not been able to achieve any measurable success.
The impression was created: Blizzard is losing in Germany and is simply starting another trial in the USA. That was the story Bossland told.
Today we received another statement from Zwetasch Letschew, the managing director of Bossland GmbH. He said: On the same day the lawsuit became known, Rod Rigole, head of Blizzard’s legal department, visited Enright and put him in front of the choice: either sign an agreement or go to court. Part of the agreement was to never touch Blizzard games again.
Bossland advised Enright to accept it. From personal experience, they believe: In the USA, the one with the bigger wallet prevails.
So far, so good, one might say. Then one less person works on Stormbuddy. But it goes further.
As Zwetsche writes in his statement, they learned today that Enright handed over Blizzard the source code of “Stormbuddy.” That was part of the deal.
Bossland discontinues Stormbuddy
Stormbuddy is (according to Letschew) a “product of Bossland GmbH that autonomously executes moves in Heroes of the Storm.”
Letschew says: “Stormbuddy has been developed for over half a year; hundreds, even thousands of developer hours have been invested to bring its artificial intelligence to a high level.”
Apoc had no right to hand over these “copyright protected works” to Blizzard. Blizzard has no right to appropriate them.
Bossland says: We are no longer the only ones who have the source code of Stormbuddy. Bossland cannot assess the impact. They are discontinuing the development of Stormbuddy and will no longer sell it.
This is not the first time that Bossland has made allegations against Blizzard. Last time, Bossland achieved an advantage in court, but afterward, Blizzard banned many users of the WoW bot “Honorbuddy.” Bossland considered this strike in the game to be a direct reaction to their court defeat.
In the Diablo 3 new patch, an Easter egg has been sneakily added that references Fallout.
As Kotaku reports, there is a clever Easter egg in the latest patch 2.4 for Diablo 3 in the form of a jewel. The item is called “Boyarsky’s Chip” (in German Boyarskys Splitter).
Leonard Boyarsky is involved in Diablo 3, he was also the Art Director for Fallout back then and involved in Fallout 2.
The “Boyarsky Chip” is a jewel that increases thorn damage. In the flavor text, the Fallout references are hard to miss. It talks about a “Vault” and when you socket it, it will never fall out, “never fall out.”
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Destiny the Iron Banner will take place in November. The rewards will go up to level 320 this time.
The last Iron Banner was a disappointment. It was quite buggy, there were too few rewards, and they had low light values. Destiny announced that this would be fixed, there should be more items and also better ones.
Now the first players have reached rank 5 with Lord Saladin and indeed: In the packages now fresh at rank 5, there are items that correspond to the hard mode raid level. So they go up to values of 320.
Additionally, there is a new Iron Banner ghost shell.
At rank 3 Lord Saladin gives the first package. Here is a rare artifact with 310 light included, plus 4 light shards and 4 strange coins.
At rank 5 there is then the “big” package. Here, Guardians can pull an Iron Banner ghost shell with values between 310 and 320 and a random item from the Iron Banner gear between 310 and 320. Class items, helmets, legs, the pulse rifle, the scout rifle, the sniper rifle, and the rocket launcher have already been confirmed. Almost anything can be included.
The Iron Banner in November is worth it if you bring characters to rank 5.
What does Saladin sell, what are the normal rewards?
Details about the gear and the bounties can be found in this video from our partners ProNDC:
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At rank 1 the emblem Iron Pride – for 1000 Glimmer.
At rank 2 the shader Millions Millions for 1000 Glimmer.
At rank 3 there is a chest armor for each class that costs 40 legendary marks and has 280 defense value.
At rank 4 there are gloves for each class with 280 defense value for 40 marks. Also the new hand cannon Finnala’s Ferocity for 90 legendary marks. While aiming, the radar remains active and kills improve tracking.
At rank 5 the emblem The Ironwood Tree for 1000 Glimmer and the shader Gold Spiral for 1000 Glimmer. Also the new machine gun Bretomart’s Defense for 90 legendary marks. The MG deals solar damage, kills grant bonus damage. When the magazine is empty, the reload speed is increased.
What rewards can drop in matches?
The actual reward should no longer be bought but earned. What you receive at the end of an Iron Banner match in Destiny depends on your rank with Lord Saladin and chance:
At ranks 1 and 2, the armor that Lord Saladin sells can drop.
At rank 3, the armors and the weapons that Lord Saladin can sell may be included.
At ranks 4 and 5, there is a chance for the armors and weapons that Saladin can sell, and the ghost shell.
The weapons and armors range from 280 to 310. The ghost shell is at 310-320.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
ArenaNet bans the guild Death and Taxes from the partner program – the guild has severely disappointed the developers of Guild Wars 2.
Claiming without correct information = Forbidden
They probably thought differently. The Guild Wars 2 guild Death and Taxes [DnT], which might be familiar to some players from the early days of World of Warcraft, had completed the first wing of the raid released the day before yesterday in record time.
Especially fast thanks to test access – Death and Taxes.
Death and Taxes had been part of a partnership with ArenaNet. As experienced raiders, they were able to test the new raids in advance and provide feedback to the developers. A part of this agreement probably stated that players in the testing program could not use their knowledge to secure first kills in the live version – or at least indicate during bragging that they had early access to the fights. It seems that Death and Taxes neglected or simply overlooked this, as within 24 hours after the release of the first raid wing, the guild was already boasting about their victory over the various bosses.
ArenaNet has now drawn consequences and removed the guild from the program – Death and Taxes will not participate in future tests. In the official statement from ArenaNet, it says:
ArenaNet takes quick action: DnT is no longer participating in the next tests.
”
After the release of our first raid wing, DnT decided to violate the basis of our collaboration by announcing their times about clearing the raid without ensuring that readers knew that DnT had already had early access to the raids. (…) DnT clearly demonstrated that they do not respect all members of our community, and we take this very seriously. As a result, we have removed DnT from our testing program.”
Well, that can happen quickly. Just first kills and then rejected. The guild name seems to have been right again: In life, there are only two certainties – death and taxes. An endless friendship with ArenaNet is probably not in the cards.
