And suddenly it goes really fast: 15 seconds of the Warcraft movie have just been released as a teaser. Check it out here!
A Teaser for the Trailer
It actually takes a few more days until BlizzCon, but how can you increase the anticipation for a movie trailer a little? Right, you release a teaser, basically a trailer for the trailer.
Narrow 15 seconds, unfortunately without much historical context, have now been released and show moving images from the finished film. Best check it out for yourself and enjoy the first impressions of the completed work.
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What I find exciting is that the movie is now called “Warcraft: The Beginning” – that drastically increases the chance for sequels mentioned by Duncan Jones in my eyes.
I’m a bit surprised that there was no announcement date for the teaser that is supposed to announce the trailer, which in turn announces the movie and… oh, you know what I mean. Let’s enjoy the weekend, the 15 seconds were enough for me to know: It won’t be bad.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Activision has acknowledged paid expansions for Destiny . These could coexist with microtransactions.
Activision has released the business figures. Destiny is doing exceptionally well: With 25 million registered players. Active players spend 3 hours daily with the shooter.
But what about the future of Destiny?
Both paid expansions and microtransactions sell well in Destiny
However, this sounds different now from Activision. Destiny players could expect both additional microtransactions and paid expansions. Not one or the other, but both.
They are currently coexisting. There has been a whole year of expansions that have all been very well received and sold well, explained Eric Hirshberg, the CEO of Activision.
In recent months, microtransactions have been introduced, smaller in-game purchases: According to Hirshberg, these have also been well received and have sold strongly. It has been proven that both elements can work together and that the player base is “hungry for great game content.”
Are more 20 Euro DLCs coming to Destiny?
Hirshberg did not specifically answer whether the business policy would shift in favor of microtransactions. They have nothing to announce yet, but numerous options.
Mein MMO believes: This is a strange situation because the “paid expansions” could also refer to the “large 40-60 Euro” things like the “The Taken King.” There was never any question about holding on to them. It was about the 20 Euro DLCs like “House of Wolves” or “Darkness Falls,” to which Hirshberg ultimately said nothing. However, it sounds more likely from the Activision CEO that they will continue to be sold.
But what comes next? What’s going to happen? Why hasn’t a new DLC been announced yet, nor a season pass introduced? That will be the exciting question of the coming months. So far, nothing about further plans is known.
This is a new situation in Destiny. With the season pass and the soon-to-be-revealed major expansion “The Taken King,” Destiny players previously always knew what would come next.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In the future, they will find “other metrics” that are better indicators of how Blizzard’s business is performing. Which indicators these will be remains open for now.
Player numbers a sensitive topic – now the last Mohican is silent
By “paid players”, they meant both players with a subscription as well as players who played World of Warcraft by the hour in an internet cafe in Asia. In China, they have a different business model.
MMO publishers almost never disclose player numbers. Blizzard was one of the few that did. We addressed the issues of player numbers in this article:
In the MMO shooter Destiny, matchmaking for raids, the automatic player search, is a major desire of the community. Is Bungie taking action on this issue?
Luke Smith, the Game Director of “The Taken King,” gave an interview to the print magazine Edge. More details are coming out via the accompanying online page.
The Problem with Matchmaking
The burning question is “matchmaking.” This means that players can press a button, and then they can join a random group for raids or in the Nightfall Strikes.
This is already possible for many activities in Destiny, but for some of the hardest and most lucrative ones, it is not. An automatic matchmaking system for raids and Nightfall Strikes is one of the most frequently requested features.
So far, Destiny has maintained the position that these difficult activities should only be played in groups with friends, as they are meant to communicate over a headset and be wipe-tolerant.
Has anything changed regarding the stance on raids and Nightfall strikes?
Matchmaking Makes Players Replaceable
Smith sees a major disadvantage in matchmaking: it makes other players replaceable. This leads to Guardians just leaving a strike and leaving the other players out in the rain because they are simply harming people with whom they have no relationship, who are interchangeable for them.
Smith can hardly imagine subjecting a group of players to this or exposing them to it.
Matchmaking Probably Won’t Happen, But Something Else Is Plausible
However, Smith can very well imagine a Destiny where it is made easier for players to search for a group to tackle difficult challenges. A version of Destiny where this is easier than it is now.
For Smith, Destiny is also the pub where you can go to have fun with your buddies in your pajamas, blasting enemies and having a good time. It’s a game best played with others. It is Bungie’s responsibility to deliver on this.
Mein MMO says:If we translate that, it means: No automated matchmaking. They don’t want that. But a manual player search within Destiny itself, where you input certain parameters and then talk to people and arrange meet-ups, seems quite possible. Such systems currently exist externally through Facebook groups or dedicated LFG sites. With the idea of implementing something like this, it seems they are playing around in Destiny.
This is the system that is standard in many MMORPGs. Even there, there is usually no “automated matchmaking” for the really difficult tasks, but you search “automatically” for the face-roll stuff and “manually” for the tough ones.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In the game data of Overwatch, some images have been extracted that will likely function as spray logos – check out what there is to spray here!
Spray logos as rewards?
Because the concept of “playing for fun” has somewhat fallen out of fashion in recent years, a shooter like Overwatch also needs a progression system that can unlock new content or customization options. Although there are no concrete plans for such a system yet, the data miners from overpwn have extracted a variety of images from the game files that will likely be usable as spray logos.
It’s not a new concept; even old games like Counter Strike offered such an option, but there players could use their own images. However, Blizzard likely wants to avoid having naked breasts permanently displayed on the walls in the world of Overwatch, so they offer a selection of different logos that fit each selected hero.
I particularly think it’s cool that even the logos take into account the nationalities of the heroes; for Reinhardt’s logo, it says “Take cover behind me,” and Widowmaker promises me something French – it probably has a lot to do with death.
Star Trek is set to return to television with a new TV series, and the MMO Star Trek Online is celebrating this news.
After more than 10 years, Star Trek will return to TV, with very little known about the new series, only that it is to air on CBS and that Alex Kurtzman is involved. He was the producer and screenwriter of the last two “new” Star Trek films.
This is what the gift looks like in the game.
A lot of Trek fans are working on the SF MMO Star Trek Online, who are really excited about this news. And a “pack” is being released, honoring the last TV series, the retro Enterprise under Archer, featuring the NX Enterprise starter ship and various costumes. The pack is available until Wednesday evening. Additionally, a bonus week is active until Monday.
New Tier-6 Ships Introduced
Moreover, new ships of Tier 6 class are being introduced. This includes a Tactical Escort Ship of the Valiant class (featured image) for Starfleet, a Kor Bird-of-Prey for the Klingons, and a Light Malem Warbird for the third faction, the Romulans.
All three ships feature the Universal Console Torpedo Module.
On the official website of Blade & Soul, there was a new update that takes a closer look at the Kungfu Master.
Just for professionals?
According to reports, the Kungfu Master is considered the most challenging class in Blade & Soul, no other character requires more class understanding of itself and its enemies, and no other class needs to react as quickly to successfully execute attacks.
Kungfu Masters can hold their own against multiple enemies relatively well, but they are truly effective only in one-on-one combat, where they can pummel opponents with seemingly endless combos. However, it is precisely in these combos that the character’s difficulty lies! Many abilities can only be activated when a certain condition is met.
Sometimes you need to dodge an attack first, then land a critical hit or knock the enemy down beforehand. Quick reactions and good foresight are vital elements to truly master this class.
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Because the Kungfu Master cannot trigger all the necessary conditions for the combos by himself, he particularly benefits from group fights and the support of his teammates.
As compensation, he can take on the role of a tank, as he can generate high threat and become nearly invulnerable due to his defensive abilities – as long as the timing is right. If the Kungfu Master ever gets out of rhythm, it is often difficult to get back into it, and the boss may deal with the rest of the group.
A user on Reddit calculated how many boosters are needed on average and how much it costs to own all cards in Hearthstone.
For a grand, you’re in
New players as well as veterans of Hearthstone often wonder how much it would cost to get all the cards solely with real money. While one might roughly estimate in their head how many packs they would need to buy, Reddit user Rushin took the time to check this out more thoroughly. He created a fresh account and then started equipping it piece by piece until he really had collected all the cards. The result is impressive:
A complete non-golden collection costs €1153! This corresponds to the purchase of 365 Classic and 364 Goblins vs Gnomes and The Grand Tournament packs each.
Go big – if you can afford it and want to …
If you want to make a big impression, you obviously only include golden cards in your decks, which would cost €4483 for a complete collection! This amount corresponds to a digital equivalent of 1418 Classic and 1417 packs of the two expansions each. Pay a year’s rent or rather have all cards in golden form?
Rushin points out that this information should not scare newcomers at all – there are numerous ways to earn cards in the game without investing a single cent. Particularly some successful players like Kripparian, Trump, and Firebat play with accounts for which they have spent absolutely no real money. Furthermore, it is also not necessary to have every card – because what good is a Mentor Cho in your collection if it doesn’t fit into any deck?
A fan has created a great diorama for the online shooter Star Wars Battlefront.
Fans are simply the best, as they put a lot of time and effort into their hobby. This is shown by Maik with his homemade diorama of the map Drop Zone – Sullust from the upcoming online shooter Star Wars: Battlefront.
On Facebook, you sometimes come across really interesting things. In a group, we noticed a nice diorama of the online shooter Star Wars: Battlefront. This accurately depicts a scene from the map Drop Zone – Sullust and is full of details.
Excited, we contacted the artist and asked him a few questions. He explains:
“It all actually started when I had an accident in 2011, where I severed the tendons in both hands at the same time. And to train my hands after the surgery/healing, I started building these dioramas. I have been a Star Wars fan since childhood and have been collecting 3 3/4′ action figures for over 15 years, which I always wanted to display somehow. And this is what came out.”
And this is how it was made
Impressive, right? Of course, we dug a little deeper.
“For materials, I mostly use styrofoam, acrylic, and MDF boards. For the details, I use natural materials, various small parts, packaging scraps, and paint,” says 34-year-old Maik. “Battlefront has been one of my favorite Star Wars games for many years now, and I’m really looking forward to the new one, as I, like many others, have been waiting for it for quite a while. I also really liked the Drop Zone Sullust during the beta test. After that, I immediately started building a diorama.“
You can see that with hard work and a bit of finesse, you can really create fantastic things. Such things really increase the anticipation of being able to play Star Wars: Battlefront soon, right?
Guild Wars 2 welcomes many players who are frolicking in Tyria and promises many improvements in the future.
Heart of Thorns is a resounding success – Tyria filled to the brim
According to the latest developer blog from Game Director Colin Johanson, the launch of the first Guild Wars 2 expansion Heart of Thorns has gone nearly smoothly. The player numbers are truly impressive. So many newcomers, returnees, and veterans are frolicking in Tyria and the new jungle of Maguuma, tackling adventures, participating in PvP battles, and working on unlocking their elite specialization.
Tyria is “filled to the brim”.
Heart of Thorns hit like a bomb – but the developers are not resting on their laurels.
However, the developers do not want to rest on their laurels. This year there will be numerous improvements that aim to smooth out minor errors and issues in the overview. At the same time, not all content is available yet and will only be accessible in the coming days:
Legendary armor sets and the first raid will soon be unlocked to give PvE players even more incentive to spend their leisure time in Tyria.
In mid-November, the qualification for the PvP league will take place!
On December 15, the Winter’s Day event begins, the GW2 variant of Christmas with new rewards, including unique decorations for guild halls.
The overview in combat is to be improved, especially for spectators. A variety of effects will consequently be reduced to ensure better visibility.
In addition, there will be plenty of bug fixes, balance, and performance changes that will be elaborated on later.
For more about the game, the mentioned features, and the expansion, you can find it on our Guild Wars 2 topic page.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Destiny today, on November 3rd, a new reset starts which also brings a new Nightfall strike.
Today, the Trials of Osiris conclude with the weekly reset. However, you won’t have to wait long for a new round. As Bungie announced on Twitter, the next Trials of Osiris will start on Friday, supposedly at 10 AM.
Trials of Osiris concludes with the Weekly Reset. The Lighthouse goes dark, until next Friday, at 2AM Pacific.
That’s what is being tweeted at least. Normally, the Trials always started on Friday evenings. Strange. In any case, it seems that the Trials of Osiris will be weekly again.
Update: This has been corrected. The start of the Trials of Osiris is at 6 PM.
The reset in Destiny is also weekly, let’s focus on that.
Weekly Nightfall strike on November 3rd against Rockets McDickface
The Nightfall, hopefully with good loot for everyone, goes into the strike Cerberus Vae III this week. Poor Valus Ta’aurc must face it.
The modifiers are:
Fresh Troops – Some enemy groups have been further strengthened
Specialist – Damage from special weapons is favored
Airborne: Guardians deal more damage while in the air
Trickle – Ability charging takes much longer
So there’s no kindling involved again.
This week’s Oryx T3 boss is Thalnok and here’s how to defeat him
This week, Thalnok is the Oryx boss. He is also known as “Crota’s Number One Fan” because he emulates the boss from “Crota’s End” so well.
The fight against him plays out like a miniature version of the Crota fight. He spawns with many adds, first the Guardians should take out the Witches, then attack the Swordbearer. Once Crota’s shield is down, he goes to his knees and you can attack him with the Swordbearer’s sword.
The process repeats until Thalnok meets his idol in the afterlife.
Videos, guides, tips for the challenges?
At this point, we will present interesting videos throughout the day, showcasing how Destiny players tackle this week’s challenges.
Our friend Nexxos delivers this fight through Cerberus Vae III and against Valus Ta’aurc.
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The new numbers from Activision Blizzard are in. World of Warcraft has lost more players, while Destiny and Call of Duty are thriving. And with all that money, Activision has bought Candy Crush – for nearly 6 billion.
World of Warcraft at 5.5 million paying players
Activision releases its business numbers quarterly. For World of Warcraft it still looks grim, having lost another 100,000 paying players, now down to 5.5 million. That’s still a lot. This quarter did not see a landslide loss of players like last time. Nonetheless, it remains the lowest level in 10 years.
The shooter Destiny is thriving – it now has 25 million registered users, up from 20 million in May. With “The Taken King”, they added even more. Destiny players played on average 3 hours, and it is now the “most-watched console game” on Twitch.
Otherwise, here are some more numbers: Call of Duty is bringing in serious cash, 7 million people signed up for the Overwatch Beta, and that doesn’t even include China. Hearthstone had its most profitable quarter ever so far.
Activision buys Candy Crush makers for 5.9 billion dollars
In the last quarter, Activision generated 1.04 billion US dollars, with digital revenues becoming increasingly important.
And what does one do with all this money? They buy the “Candy Crush” developer King for 5.9 billion to enter the growing mobile market.
3.6 billion was raised “from own money that was stored outside the USA”, the remaining 2.3 billion was borrowed from Bank of America Merrill Lynch and Goldman Sachs. Activision Blizzard paid about 1 billion over the estimated market value of “King Digital Entertainment”.
Activision Blizzard is happy to welcome the 1600 employees of King into its own family.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In the fantasy MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV, the patch 3.1 is scheduled for a good week from now. Two of the activities have now been introduced.
Gundo, Zundo, Vundo – and the Fliewatüüt
The “Wild Tribes” always provide material for side quests in Final Fantasy XIV. The previously unknown Vanu Vanu tribe of the Gundo appears in patch 3.1. Describing the situation of the Vanu Vanu is a bit like a lesson from Sesame Street.
The red-feathered Zundo are allies of the players. In contrast, the main tribe of the Vundo is angry; they have not forgiven the players for opposing the primal Bismarck. Now the Gundo find themselves in this impasse.
Now it is important to gain favor with the Vanu Vanu – completing main and side quests, earning reputation, which unlocks further main quests. And you will be able to access the items from the merchants there, who sell companions and even a mount.
The pet game “The Battle of the Satellites”
“The Battle of the Satellites” is the new attraction in the Manderville Gold Saucer, the amusement and game park of Final Fantasy XIV.
Players will summon their companions and command them in battle. The goal is to win the arcana stones from the opponents. This “maxi-mini-game” can be played against both the arena master and other players.
The players’ companions are classified into groups: Monsters > Animals > Dolls > Monsters (these 3 follow a rock, paper, scissors system). The fourth group of devices does not have such an advantage. Each companion will then have its own stats.
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Communities of MMORPGs can sometimes be easily upset. This applies to indie games just as much as to AAA games. In this week’s MMO recap Respec, there’s more than just humor in the communities.
Shroud of the Avatar
It has almost become a tradition for the community of the selective multiplayer RPG Shroud of the Avatar to argue. This is because the game wants to mix two vastly different genres – single-player RPG and MMORPG. Last week there was another heated discussion. It started with an announcement from a forum member who wanted to turn their back on the game because it was not developing in the direction that was advertised during the Kickstarter campaign. The forum member had lost all hope and was also disappointed with customer support.
In SotA, heated discussions are almost part of the daily routine.
This once again led to the familiar discussion about how to offer a single-player RPG in an MMORPG environment without compromising both genres. A legitimate request was even made: the team should clearly outline what Shroud of the Avatar will really be and explain exactly how the game will be played in offline and online mode. Because by now, serious doubts have arisen as to whether the premise of the Kickstarter campaign still holds, and seemingly many – especially those new to the game – have no idea what SotA is or will be.
ARK – Survival Evolved
There was also a bit of trouble in the dino MMO ARK – Survival Evolved. A referee of the “Last Stand” tournament made a questionable decision according to the players. The discussion led to this decision needing to be independently reviewed.
Ultimately, it was agreed that the entire participating team would be invited to a bonus round again. This left the participants satisfied, and winners were determined with whom everyone was happy. E-sports is indeed not just a “game”, but a serious matter. Especially when it comes to really high-quality prizes.
Sword Coast Legends
Not really an MMO, but still an RPG with a highly interesting multiplayer mode: the launch of the role-playing game Sword Coast Legends disappointed many D&D players. Because from what they expected based on the developers’ statements, there was ultimately very little included. Especially the dungeon master mode disappointed with extremely limited capabilities. This led to fierce criticism from many fans, which is reflected in a relatively low rating for the game on Steam. We also tested Sword Coast Legends and came to a similar conclusion.
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The developers have now spoken up and pledge to improve. By December, they want to provide several free DLCs, which will primarily expand the dungeon master mode. It is even expected that players will be able to customize levels and create branching dialogues. Perhaps Sword Coast Legends will still become the promised pen-and-paper alternative.
Fans of the sandbox MMORPG Albion Online have little reason to be upset. The developers announced that the closed beta would start at the end of this month. Perhaps those who cannot play on the first day will be a bit upset. Because the closed beta will start on different days, depending on the founder status of the founders’ package purchasers. Legendary founders can start on November 23, Epic founders on November 24, and Veteran founders can join on November 25. Curious? We have introduced Albion Online here.
More about the founder packages can be found on the official website albion-online.com
And once again, an exciting week in the area of indie MMOs is behind us. But the new week has already begun!
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
If that was all from Bungie, we have to catch up. One of our readers sent us this video. Nothing spectacular, no montage or anything, just 3:17 of everything going according to a Sunbreaker’s plan in the Crucible.
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A Czech fan site wants to get information about upcoming Heroes of the Storm content – is there any truth to it?
Lots of Food at BlizzCon
This is one of those reports that should be taken with caution. A Czech fan site claims to have received an email from Blizzard, teasing the first content for the upcoming BlizzCon. In rough translation it says:“We invite you to the stream next week, where we will present 2 new maps and at least 4 new heroes along with many other improvements that players will be excited about.”
Last year, the Tomb of the Spider Queen was introduced – what can we expect this time?
Whether there is any truth to the rumors, whether a certain fan site just wanted some attention, or whether an anonymous email writer is now secretly laughing, we will find out over the course of the upcoming weekend at BlizzCon 2015. Rumor or not, I want Azshara already.
At Black Desert, the next trailer was shown at the fair in Paris. It solely revolves around the combat.
In the last trailer for Black Desert, practically everything except the combat was shown, such as horse breeding, fishing, and similar activities: The variety is large. In the latest trailer, they turn the plows back into swords, and the fishing rod becomes a magic wand.
Daum focuses on the impressive action combat system of Black Desert. Mages sizzle the opponents, a sorceress deals with skeletons, and an archer demonstrates the combat style that almost cost Europe dearly: the mounted and bow-skilled invaders from the East left the Europeans perplexed time and again.
Whether Black Desert will be well received in Europe and conquer it in a storm is written in the stars. They plan to start here with 6 classes. It probably won’t fail due to the combat system, or what do you think?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Star Wars Battlefront, a first look has been given into what will be included in the four DLCs planned for after the launch.
So far, little was known about what will be included in the announced 4 DLC packs for Star Wars Battlefront. Now, initial details have been revealed. It is said that there will be “New Universes, new player actions, and also new weapons.” The four DLCs are set to be released within 12-18 months after the launch of Star Wars Battlefront.
Those who prefer to purchase the Battlefront DLC Pass for 50 euros instead of buying the 4 DLCs separately (likely for 15 euros each) will currently receive a “Shoot First” emote and will get access to the game content two weeks before everyone else.
Star Wars Battlefront will be released on November 17 for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Hearthstone wants to make things exciting this month – but will it succeed with a new card back?
A Delayed Halloween Trick
Actually, we would present the new card back that can be earned in November here. However, since BlizzCon is taking place this month and many things are likely to be presented there, the developers of Hearthstone are holding back a bit and only reveal that the new card back will be unveiled next weekend.
Was this really a smart move and will it keep expectations from being set too high? In five days, we will know.
As usual, the same requirements apply. To get the new card back, players must reach at least Rank 20 in ranked mode within the next 29 days. This is not particularly difficult, as players cannot lose rank until this rank and can only ascend.
On December 1, players will receive the card back from the monthly reward chest, along with some golden cards and possibly some Arcane Dust.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Overwatch, you can drive enemies crazy with little emotes – check out what the characters have to say.
You have my attention!
When embodying charismatic heroes and sinister villains in a game, you want to feel that in some way. This happens not only through the weapons and abilities but also through the way characters talk to each other or through specific emotes. So far, beta players of Overwatch only have access to one of these emotes, which is the typical “Taunt” from Blizzard. Overpwn has put together a small video showing the various comments from the characters.
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Aside from Reinhardt’s “100% German strength” and Reaper’s neck-slicing gesture, most of it looks rather cute than truly threatening – but perhaps that is meant to entice enemies into daring actions. Whether more such interaction possibilities will come, like a quick-select system for team announcements as seen in SMITE, will be shown at BlizzCon this weekend.
