The winter is coming – who wouldn’t want to have a hot woman on the screen? Take action and grab Sol, the Nordic goddess of the sun!
Fire at will!
Last week, we reported on the new goddess in Smite, the Nordic embodiment of the sun, Sol. With her abilities, she stands out significantly from previous mages, as she neither fully relies on her abilities (like Scylla) nor is completely focused on her auto attacks (like Ao Kuang), but instead requires a skilled mix to emerge victorious from the battle. At the same time, she is one of the few goddesses who can make herself completely invulnerable.
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Do you want to win Sol along with her alternative appearance? No problem! Just leave a comment under this post and you’ll have a chance to win the hot lady. Among all participants, we will raffle a total of 3 codes. Please note that the codes are valid only for the PC version of SMITE and multiple entries will lead to disqualification. The deadline for participation is October 16 at 7 PM. Good luck!
[doptoggle title=”Terms of participation”]By participating in the free raffle, where you can win the new SMITE goddess Sol, you accept the rules of this raffle. Mein MMO has the right to disqualify participants who violate the rules, attempt to manipulate the raffle, or try to do so. Only one entry per person is allowed. We will contact the winners within a week after the end via email (therefore, the correct email addresses should be provided in the comments). The data will not be stored but only used for sending the code. The legal process is excluded.[/doptoggle]
For more information on the current patch and the latest gods, visit our SMITE topic page.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Since the Free2Play transition of WildStar, the call for a comparison of the two games has grown louder. Like every other game before it, WildStar must measure itself against the unassailable genre leader World of Warcraft. For this reason (and because a certain boss is forcing me), we take a comparative look at both games and search for the biggest strengths as well as the most significant weaknesses of these two MMORPG representatives. Round one for WildStar vs. WoW
The start – too easy and too bumpy?
When starting both games, noticeable differences immediately appear: Aside from the naming, the first levels in World of Warcraft can be played solely with the mouse. The tutorials are functional and brief, the first quests barely deserve their name, as rarely more than one ability is needed to send enemies to their graves – not to mention that you typically only have 1-2 abilities. The game world is colorful, relevant quest-givers stand out clearly from the rest of the world and clearly direct: “Follow this path, and you’ll progress further.”
With WildStar, it’s different. Although arrows can indicate the direction of a quest, the overall design is not very beginner-friendly. Too much information in a short time confuses more than helps, quest-givers hardly stand out from the mass of NPCs, and the sheer number of menus and submenus will leave even some veterans sweating. No, the start is definitely smoother in World of Warcraft than in WildStar.
Presentation of the game world
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In presenting the game world, both games balance out but shine particularly in different areas. World of Warcraft can score with its extensive lore that has matured over 20 years and – despite some fanatical critics – is largely coherent and logical. All this background knowledge oozes from every corner of Azeroth. Some cutscenes in the newer areas have film quality. This creates a dense atmosphere with continuously progressing story, which, due to its scope alone, offers little competition. On the flip side, WoW suffers from a lack of secrets – rarely is anything in the world really hidden or not obvious, leading to players with a penchant for exploration possibly feeling quickly bored.
The lore is fresh and exciting in WildStar – unfortunately not optimally presented.
In WildStar, it’s quite the opposite. The lore is fresh, sometimes lively to absurd, but is hardly noticed by many players. While there are countless codex entries, hardly any player reads them. The short quests in SMS form also do not invite players to study the world, making it hard to connect with Nexus unless one actively seeks it out. However, the world itself shines with many secrets: Countless jumping puzzles are hidden in the expansive areas, many challenges are only found by actively searching, and humorous secrets with interesting puzzles can be stumbled upon at every corner.
Read more on the next page about the combat systems, scope, PvP, and customization…
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The mammoth project Star Citizen has faced its own convention with a series of announcements and demos.
After all the annoying stuff with Star Citizen lately, Cloud Imperium has managed to put the game in the spotlight and let the background noise fade away. At the “CitizenCon” in Manchester, they presented the next milestones. And as is typical for Cloud Imperium, there are not only spreadsheets but also videos and elaborate demos.
Gary Oldman is highlighted among the stars.
Top cast with Hollywood stars has recorded 10 hours of material
Here in this video, you can see star actors who were able to participate for Squadron 42, the single-player campaign. Among them are Gary Oldman (Commissioner Gordon from Batman), Mark Strong (the villain from Sherlock Holmes or Kick-Ass), Gillian Anderson (Scully from The X-Files), John Rhys-Davies (Gimli from The Lord of the Rings), and Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker). Achieving a stretch goal during the Kickstarter funding made this possible.
In a video, they show the “filming”, where today’s technology seems to primarily focus on spinning the actors:
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The single-player campaign aims to compete with AAA games
Another demo then shows what all this is good for. The first few minutes from the single-player campaign Squadron 42 from the player’s perspective. They promise that you won’t be acting alongside faceless robots but will encounter strong personalities:
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According to Roberts, Squadron 42, the single-player part, will be able to compete with AAA titles. Players could immerse themselves in the game better than in any other game he has ever made.
Alpha 2.0 is the next big milestone
The next big milestone in the development of Star Citizen will be Alpha 2.0. Here, players will get to know the persistent universe of Star Citizen for the first time. There will be 38 playable missions and a huge area.
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The Xbox One version of the action MMORPG Neverwinter is catching up with the PC. In November, the Strongholds guild add-on is set to be released. Fortresses will be possible.
The Xbox One version of Neverwinter will soon be at the same level as the PC version. Sure, the next update “Underdark” is already in the works, but still: When “Strongholds” is released on November 3rd, as announced, it will have only been out on PC for a few months.
When Strongholds is released, the Xbox One version will then be on the current PC level. This was intended, a small content sprint was specifically added to close the gap to the PC version.
The extensive “Strongholds” module brings a huge MOBA-like map to Neverwinter. Guilds can continuously expand fortifications, gaining their own playground. On our topic page for Neverwinter, we have extensively presented the seventh module.
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Next week, development of the survival mode is expected to pick up speed again. A patch will be released then. A precise date has not yet been given. The patch will bring a fresh vehicle to H1Z1 with the “ATV”. It is off-road capable and easy to control. Two people can take a seat, and the passenger can also shoot. Such features are important in H1Z1.
The inclusion of women zombies adds variety among the biters. They resemble the female player model strongly, receive typical uniforms and outfits for variety: policewoman, park ranger, and a nurse are also included. Practically the Village People among the zombies.
Soon, they also want to create a new zombie type from the previous male player model, “Ivan.”
The biggest addition will surely come with the four-story Kurama building. It is quite a creepy hospital. Later, they want to show moving body bags here.
In the building, they also want to implement a new game idea: “Loops.” These are quest-like sequences. In the hospital, for example, there is a doctor who researches the H1Z1 virus and has infected herself. She needs samples from the world and grants the chance for codes in return, which in turn request special air drops.
Additionally, there is a special zombie who has a key – and this opens a certain container. These are not supposed to be real quests with a quest interface and so on, but merely sequences that arise from the environment and give H1Z1 more personality and background.
http://youtu.be/Z_6QRSLgM_U
In the presentation from the test server, it can be seen that there is still much work to be done before one can speak of a polished version. But many will be pleased that something is happening again. It will likely take a while again until the still raw patch gets live fixes.
For the curious: All game content is already available on the test server.
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A new legendary weapon has made waves in the MMO shooter Destiny. The Eirene RR4 is considered the best sniper rifle in PvP.
In the last year of Destiny, “One-Shot Snipers” were feared. They had the perk “Final Round,” which caused the last shot in the magazine to deal bonus damage. In PvP, players with such sniper rifles would initially shoot a few times into the air at the start of a match, only to land a lethal body shot with the last round in the chamber. Normally, sniper rifles without this bonus damage require two body shots for a kill.
These “One-Shot” snipers were considered unfair and somewhat “nooby,” just like shotguns with Sardine Can. The opinion: If someone wants to get one-shot kills with a sniper, they should at least aim for the head.
The Eirene RR4 is available on Armsday from Banshee-44. It is an Omniglum sniper. However, you need quite a bit of luck to get the weapon in the exact right build. Here, YouTuber Vslava HD suggests not to redeem the delivery if Roulette is not included, and to try again next week. Then the weapon will have new perks.
The Top Trio – and the rest of the field.
In any case, if you have the choice, you should keep an eye on that and seriously consider the Eirene RR4. In terms of stats, it is simply a strong choice. However, the aim assist is significantly lower than that of direct competitors like Void Watcher or Stillpiercer – those, in turn, have no way to access Roulette. Other legendary sniper rifles fall significantly behind the Top Trio in terms of impact.
What do you think? A hidden gem or overrated?
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In the superhero MMO DC Universe Online, Episode 17, the October content, is out. Here you walk in the footsteps of the red flash, on the path of Flash.
The transition to monthly content has been successful for DC Universe Online. With Episode 17, the third content patch following this pattern is released. Again, the monthly episode brings two separate gameplay contents.
The “League of Assassins” storyline continues in a duo from Episode 15. The League breaks into the Flash Museum in Central City and is after an artifact. The Flash Museum serves as a backdrop and provides a lot of background knowledge and trivia for the red flash.
The Raven storyline from the last episode continues as well. However, this is not an easy duo mission, but an 8-player operation. Raven wants to stop her father Trigon before he becomes too powerful. The 8-player operation will also be available in the elite version.
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With Armored Warfare, a new tank MMO is in soft launch. We participated in the head start. How does it play? Is it worth it? Let’s take a look in a small Armored Warfare test.
To be honest, I’ve been circling around the whole tank genre for a while, wondering how it all feels. Now I have participated relatively intensively in the head start of Armored Warfare and can say: It plays like a shooter with extremely thick snipers.
Like a shooter with very thick people
While in a shooter you can correct mistakes and undo decisions in seconds: “Oh, I am in the line of fire from the enemies, I’ll do a ninja roll to the left and then I’ll be safe behind a hill,” such a maneuver in Armored Warfare is a matter of 30 seconds while the enemies fry your metal butt. If you’re caught out in the open one to three against heavy tanks, no matter how fast your reactions are – it doesn’t end well. You should have positioned yourself differently in advance. A lesson that Armored Warfare has taught me with a certain enjoyment.
On the next page, we’ll discuss the gameplay experience in Armored Warfare.
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Star Wars: Battlefront is probably the most anticipated title of this year. Although there is still a bit more than a month until the release, players can already dive into the multiplayer shooter by DICE during the Open Beta. We ask: Does it meet your expectations?
The expectations are huge, as almost every one of us associates an amazing spectacle with the world’s most famous franchise. Even beforehand, there were doubts, whether due to the comparatively lower number of features than its predecessor or the fear that, given the developer’s history, it would end up just being a Battlefield skin. Since the beta is heavily limited, it is hard to assess how good the overall package is. Still: The first impression is important, and it can already be captured now.
This is what you say about the Open Beta of Battlefront
Regarding the atmosphere, most people agree: Here, the developer seems to have done a great job. The Star Wars feeling has been captured very well by DICE. And not just because the famous “pew-pew sound” created by the blasters has been captured well. DICE emphasized several times that they are keen for players to feel as if they are right in the middle of the Star Wars universe, instead of just being there – and they have indeed managed to implement that well.
Most noticeable are the differing opinions on the direction of Star Wars Battlefront. Some had wished for a tactically demanding title with long-term motivation. Many now fear that it won’t be able to provide that after the first few hours of gameplay: It is said to be too simplistic in its shooter mechanics, with barely any noticeable progression. On the other hand, there are those who are completely satisfied: they get an action spectacle they can dive into immediately; a great alternative to Destiny and Co. for a few rounds in the evening. What matters to them the most is to experience Star Wars – ideally in sync with the film hype.
“…the SimCity of shooters” – Tactical depth missing
Here are a few selected opinions that have come in on Mein-MMO.de:
After 30 minutes, my conclusion is: Atmosphere is very good, the game itself is too boring for me. It really doesn’t get any simpler than this, realizing a shooter. (…) Only for players who want to play a quick round, but don’t want any progression or tactical depth. The gameplay is very quick… it doesn’t matter at all if you die, because you’re back in the game faster than in Battlefield. It’s just as indifferent when you take someone down, as it’s nothing special. Spawn, shoot, die, spawn, shoot, die, spawn,… Even some F2P shooters like Dirty Bomb have more tactical depth than Battlefront. Too bad. (…) I expected a Battlefield with SW skins, as I didn’t know the old SWBF games, but played BF3 to death. For about 30 minutes, I really enjoyed it,(…) after that, the fun is gone because everything is so trivial. But the game looks very good even with my old graphics card and runs smoothly. – Michael
I just played it. After 15 minutes, I got bored and uninstalled the game. Maybe it’s my age. Almost 30 :/ The graphics are really beautiful. But you can’t make gameplay any simpler. In my opinion, it’s the SimCity of shooters. – am
Graphics are awesome like Jabba’s belly, gameplay depth is flat like Leia’s boobs! – Schuhmann
“Can you still have fun? Sure, plenty!”
My conclusion after hours of searching (Yes, maybe the Star Wars nerd speaks out of me too): Graphics, sound, atmosphere wonderful. Gameplay, well, just a shooter. The fact that the blaster shots fly slowly and you have to lead over long distances, I think is good, when I remember CoD Ghosts… (…) Flight control also works smoothly, I’m really looking forward to Fighter Squadron. (…) So for me, this game is basically exactly what I have been waiting for – based on my current impressions. I also understand that the game is not for everyone, and it doesn’t have to be, but I prefer it over all that worn-out Battlefield and CoD “stuff”. – Flying_Horseman aka Hegerto
I, as an original SWBF2 player, must say at this point that SWBF2/SWBF DICE has never occupied the place of a complex shooter for us, but has always been fun for a quick play. The fact that this “quick play” has turned into “day and night” is probably solely due to the fact that SWBF2 was able to entertain so well with so “little”. However, if someone is looking for a complex shooter, they might not be happy with SWBF 2/DICE. Can you still have fun? Sure, plenty! – An SWBF2 veteran
I have played for a while now and in my opinion, it works great as a game for between. I definitely had fun and a big plus is that the Star Wars atmosphere is captured well. One must keep in mind: The Drop Zone, for example, is designed for fast gameplay and that is fulfilled by the map. There are more modes, which will certainly play a bit differently. Of course, it doesn’t have the long-term motivation of a Destiny, but I also didn’t approach this with that expectation. – Dawid
What do you actually want?
Played BF1 & 2? They were not high-tactical shooters, but more so about “quick play”. I don’t know why one expects that here. It has been criticized beforehand by many: “It will just be a Battlefield with a Star Wars skin”. Now that it’s not so, people are still not satisfied. What do “you” actually want? Furthermore, I agree with the others, the atmosphere is brilliant, more Star Wars feeling is hardly possible. – RC-9797
The Open Beta has been running for 2 days now. Has your opinion changed with more playtime or has it remained the same? And many of you will surely have played a few rounds just this weekend. What are your thoughts?
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In the MMO shooter Destiny , an image, an icon sparked the players’ imagination. It showed a mysterious, yet unnamed rocket launcher. Could this be the successor to Gjallarhorn in The Taken King?
It is known that there are still some secrets lurking in “The Taken King” for players. The most sought-after treasures are new weapons.
Long before these weapons are actually found, players already have information and opinions about them. Legends form around the weapons.
Only this image and the name “Touch of Malice” were known until a few weeks ago.
Secret Weapons in Destiny – most already discovered
An exotic weapon like the “Touch of Malice“, of which there was initially only an image and a name, is now in the game and has been found. The Sleeper Simulant was discovered last week. Most rumors surround the heavy fusion rifle, and the greatest legends have formed around it.
One of the weapons still being searched for is the “No Time to Explain” – there are no real hints yet. However, there is already a strong expectation for the find of “The First Curse”.
Mysterious Microphone Rocket Launcher in Destiny?
The “most mysterious weapon” in Destiny doesn’t even have a name. Players only knew an image, an icon: The exotic rocket launcher depicted in it earned the nickname “Microphone Rocket-Launcher”.
For some, the image and some data were enough to declare the rocket launcher a “legitimate successor to Gjallarhorn” for Year 2 in Destiny. The rocket launcher was said, according to the files, to fire a “high-energy volley of projectiles.” Kills with it were supposed to grant additional ammunition.
As a mysterious and enticing item, it lies in the known data miner databases. Players like to show “that they know their stuff” when they refer to the item as a: “When the rocket launcher is found, then! – Compared to that, the weapons currently available are just toys”
Now the Game Director of The Taken King, Luke Smith, completely deflated the story with this tweet:
The rocket launcher is not in the game. It was the icon of a weapon that was cut from The Taken King. Data files are not promises, it is said. There is no Horn 2.0.
Another mystery surrounding the weapons in Destiny is thus solved. Although not in a way that will please players.
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On World of Warships, a whole series of German and Soviet ships will be added to the game on October 19. You can already view them in the video.
World of Warships is the naval division of Wargaming’s comprehensive military MMO franchise. In terms of spectacle, the youngest offspring is far ahead and can even outshine its father, World of Tanks.
These steel giants at sea have something fascinating about them. Since it just came out of open beta and officially launched, the fleet size is still a bit thin. They aim to improve this on October 19: German cruisers and Russian destroyers are set to join World of Warships.
YouTuber Mighty Jingles has showcased them impressively and in detail in this video:
http://youtu.be/YATjNW2hSWU
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In Blade and Soul, the first lucky players have the chance to play it for the first time in the West.
A few lucky founders received an email. Unexpectedly, they were invited to the “technical alpha” of Blade and Soul. This means they will be among the first to test West Blade and Soul . The alpha runs until Monday.
Only a few were selected from the founders at NCSoft. For those who are not included now: Next weekend, there will be another, larger alpha event. However, even there, it cannot be guaranteed that all players who bought a founder will get in. The alpha players will even be able to keep their characters when it moves into closed beta.
In WildStar, the first official holiday event is approaching: Shade’s Eve brings creepy vibes to the colorful planet Nexus.
The Reason for the Celebration
Last year, the developers had planned the Halloween event Shade’s Eve for WildStar, but they couldn’t finish it in time – this year, it’s finally happening. The reason for the celebration dates back to the distant past of the Cassians, the human race of the Dominion: A group of settlers fell gravely ill from an unknown plague that ravaged all the inhabitants of the planet. Just before the last humans fell, scientists managed to create a cure from the blood of an immune girl.
As is common with humans, this story has become increasingly mythologized over the years, portraying the plague through the personification of evil represented by Jack Shade. In contrast, the girl, who symbolizes healing, became known as Angel.
The Impact on Nexus
Both factions celebrate Shade’s Eve equally. From October 18 to November 2, the festivities can be enjoyed. Players will first notice the many decorations in the capital cities. From creepy candles to pitch-black Rowsdowers, there is something for every Halloween fan. As is customary for a proper MMO event, there is even a dedicated expedition that is only available for 2 weeks, and a handful of daily quests are a must to make the usual grind just right. But the effort is worth it: Cool costumes and unique companions await all who take on the challenges.
Cool costumes and stylish hats await all participants.
But even those who don’t care about the PvE aspects will at least enjoy a brief change of scenery on Nexus.
For more about the game and the transition to Free2Play, you can visit our WildStar theme page.
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The developers talk about the story of the golden city in Guild Wars 2: Tarir. It was built by the dragon Glint and houses an immortal people.
The Golden City of Tyria
After new details about various rewards and gameplay in Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns have been discussed in recent days, the creators are now turning to some historical aspects. The focus of the latest developer blog is the golden city Tarir, which can be found in the Maguuma Jungle. It is one of the last remnants of Glint, a female dragon, without whom it is unlikely any mortal people would exist. In Tarir lives a completely new species – the Exalted.
The Exalted play a central role in the conflict with Mordremoth.
Beings of Pure Energy
When Glint rebelled against her former master, the Elder Dragon Kralkatorrik, she gathered a group of loyal Forgotten who were to search for willing mortals. These beings underwent a ritual and completely transformed into magical energy. They became the Exalted, creatures of immortal lifespan, high magical power, and only one purpose: to fulfill Glint’s vision of a peaceful world. Yet they are not invincible. Although they do not need to eat or sleep, a deadly attack can destroy them, just as draining their life energy can.
Today, the Exalted serve the golden city of Tarir, which they continue to nurture and maintain. While the Upholders (a grouping of the Exalted) take care of the city’s infrastructure, the Bastion Guards defend the walls against the encroaching forces of the re-emerging Mordremoth. The Sages manage the flow of magic that keeps the city itself alive.
In Heart of Thorns, the Exalted will take a central role in the conflict, and players will have to deal with them many times throughout the storyline.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In League of Legends (LoL) Poppy is causing headaches for the developers. She needs a complete overhaul.
The US site Kotaku has addressed Poppy, speaking with pro gamers and Riot developers. Poppy is an old LoL champion who has been waiting for a “makeover”, a fundamental redesign for over two years. The problem is complex: because to compensate for this, her stats in other areas have been drastically reduced. Poppy pays a high price for the 6-8 seconds of “Diplomatic Immunity.” In the rest of the game, she tries to stay alive in any way possible. Some pros say it sometimes takes 30 minutes for her to be useful and have her moment of triumph.
For pro teams, this is an unacceptable concept. Poppy is too inconsistent, unpredictable. The character is “broken,” as it is said, somewhat damaged.
If Riot wants to make her a “real champion” who is useful not just for 6-8 seconds in a team fight, she needs a complete rework.
Her now outdated animations should also be redesigned in one go. The effort required to rework Poppy for LoL is compared to the overhaul that turned Sion into the monster he is today.
At Riot, they assure that they are taking care of the little Yordle with the big heart and even bigger hammer. She is supposed to be the next big update. How exactly they plan to do this is currently still open. It seems like her ultimate is being targeted. It is expected to come out in 2015.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The Dino MMO ARK has not only reached a new milestone but is also hosting a special event for Halloween – featuring zombies.
On the night when the Dodos scream …
A few days ago, ARK: Survival Evolved achieved a new milestone in its relatively short history. Just in July, we reported that the dino survival game sold 1 million copies on Steam shortly after its early access launch, but since then ARK has gained even more traction. To be exact, the number of buyers has doubled to 2 million since then.
After the snow biome, long nights follow – the horror can begin!
To celebrate this (and perhaps Halloween), the developers are organizing a special event in the last week of October fitting for the spookiest time of the year. For a week, the nights will be longer and the days colder, bringing forth the most gruesome things players can imagine: zombies.
Not ordinary ones, but in the form of undead Dodos that seek to hunt players for life and loot. If you manage to take down the flightless feathered creatures, special candies will be available that can only be obtained during this time. Those skilled with a knife can even carve a pumpkin and display it with a creepy face in front of their base.
For more information about the game and the latest updates, you can visit our ARK topic page.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In the MMO shooter Destiny , the Game Director of the new expansion spoke critically about the starting period. They themselves did not recognize the potential of the game and the characters, like Ghost.
Luke Smith, the Game Director of “The Taken King,” is a man of clear words. This sometimes brings him trouble (The thing about throwing money against the monitor), but often provides interesting insights.
In a new interview, they wanted to tease out of him why “The Ghost” somehow didn’t work in the base game. Why he had such difficult lines, why it all sounded so stilted, why the soul was missing? They want to know if it was due to Peter Dinklage’s performance.
However, Bungie does not accept criticism on that point. Smith says, that the Ghost is a good example of the entire game. They didn’t recognize at the beginning what they actually had or where it was headed. The potential of the Ghost and the entire character was not always recognized. This led to some of his lines being lacking. The material Dinklage worked with was not always well-written.
As Smith believes, such mistakes and experiments were necessary to learn from them. In the second year, they now have a much better understanding of Destiny and also of the role of the Ghost. Everything seems more cohesive now, and there is more possible.
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The development of “The Taken King” went well whenever individual teams were given the opportunity to shine, Smith explains. Because at Bungie, they can rely on excellent professionals and developers. They achieved more than one could expect from them.
Thus, he told the teams of Audio and Story regarding the missions in the Second Act of “The Taken King,” the “Taken War”: It’s perfectly fine if you only make one line at the beginning of the mission and one at the end. Because time was short at that point.
However, they could not reconcile this with their professional outlook. The teams did not accept that and insisted on providing these missions completely with story and music.
Smith sees the biggest risk in the development of “The Taken King” as the endgame, which now offers something for solo players, has generally more freedom, with legendary weapons as quest rewards and secrets.
A game designer spills the beans about Overwatch: What will the payment model be? How does match-making work?
Knock at the Front Door
In just under a month, BlizzCon will take place, and the beta of Blizzard’s first first-person shooter Overwatch is coming close. Rockpapershotgun had the opportunity to conduct a detailed interview with game designer Geoff Goodman and ask many questions about the design of Overwatch. We have compiled the exciting statements for you.
Within reach? At the latest during BlizzCon, an appointment for the beta is expected.
Developers are looking forward to the beta
It is especially interesting that the developers of the Overwatch beta are just as eager as the fans. At Blizzard, the limits of what can be managed with an internal test group have now been reached. Fresh feedback from new players is essential, because that is the only way to find out which characters are too strong or too weak compared to others and whether a meta is established – as that was not the case internally.
Problem Child Matchmaking
Matchmaking still worries the developers.
In a team shooter like Overwatch, matchmaking is a central component to ensure the enjoyment of all players. However, Goodman still sees some issues here: Many friends will play Overwatch together, and the skill level of players in such groups is often very different.
If the game registers that in the first team there is a very good player and several less skilled players, it currently tries to find a similar opposing team. However, this is not working as well as the developers would like, because the less skilled players then have little fun in the game. However, Goodman has not found a solution to this problem yet – but that seems to be the case for the entire team-play industry.
The Business Model – Still Uncertain
A definitive business model for Overwatch has still not been established. Goodman emphasizes his good position here, as Blizzard has experience with almost all common models: World of Warcraft with subscription model, Diablo 3 as a classic box, Heroes of the Storm and Hearthstone as free-to-play.
A business model with purchasable heroes would likely not suit Overwatch.
“Changing characters during an ongoing match is an important part of Overwatch, it says, “so we definitely want to ensure that we do not ruin that with a payment model.” While this is far from a clear statement, it probably rules out a free-to-play variant with individually purchasable heroes, otherwise the aforementioned problem would occur.
Into the Beta with the Gamepad?
A point that was surprisingly confirmed quickly was the question about the use of gamepads. Many of the current players felt that Overwatch would play even better with a gamepad, and Goodman confirmed that the game will fully support this. However, it was not discussed whether this would already be the case in the beta. Similarly, it remains unclear when exactly the beta will start, as there is still no official date: “Fall 2015” is still the plan – and that unfortunately takes a bit longer.
For more about the game, the different maps, and characters, visit our Overwatch topic page.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Permadeath in MMORPGs is a sensitive topic – the upcoming game Chronicles of Elyria dares to tackle it: When your character dies, you have to pay money to create a new one.
Aging and dying do not really matter in most video games. If the hero in an MMORPG dies, he respawns and the adventure continues. In Chronicles of Elyria, this works a bit differently. Your hero ages and can die. If he is dead, he cannot be resurrected. The game essentially ends for him.
Players are then given the opportunity to create a new hero, but this must be paid for. The exact amount is not yet determined. The soul of the played hero will then pass on to his heir, influencing their stats and skills. Then the game starts anew. The lifespan of a hero is between 10 to 16 months.
Everyone Dies of Old Age
Permadeath in Chronicles of Elyria is triggered only when the hero dies of old age. If he is severely injured in battle, he may be dying, but his soul returns to his body. This means you do not die, but your lifespan is shortened by a certain period. Many fans have expressed concerns that the open-PVP system will make them victims of “griefers” who enjoy attacking others constantly to quickly shorten their characters’ lifetimes.
The developers at Soulbound Studios are aware of the problem. “Griefing” will therefore be punished with a prison sentence. A character in prison will also have a shortened lifespan. Therefore, players should think twice about attacking another player repeatedly. The developers hope to eliminate “griefing” this way.
One Must Live with Death
This way, they hope to make PvP battles more interesting, ensure fairness, and provide players with an engaging way to play their heroes into old age. By requiring payment for a “new life”, they aim to fund the operation of the MMORPG Chronicles of Elyria.
Thus, each player can decide for themselves if they want to continue playing with a new hero after the death of their character or not. For MMO fans, this means a change in mindset, as they cannot keep playing their beloved heroes “forever”. When Chronicles of Elyria will be released is still uncertain.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
A small update in Black Desert delights the fans: Some horses come with comfortable 2-seat equipment.
Horses for Togetherness
While it is not the biggest change of all time, many players will still be pleased with the small update from Black Desert. Similar to other games (like World of Warcraft), there will be mounts in the expansive world of Black Desert that can be ridden together. It not only looks nice (although someone should please take the sailor’s clothes away from that guy, thanks) but also encourages players not to rush into big adventures alone.
The requirements for such a mount are a bit higher than for the other horses: First, 80 racing marks must be collected, and the desired mount must already be around 6 years old, as horses age in Black Desert (not in real time). The corresponding skill is quite rare among the hoofed quadrupeds, so it may take a while to find a suitable creature.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
