Pantheon: MMORPG back on track after a deep fall

Matthias Winter Matthias Winter Reading time 3 minutes

After a rather bumpy start, Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen (old school PvE MMORPG) is back on track thanks to a new investor. With the financial boost, Visionary Realms was able to not only hire new developers but is also currently preparing for the upcoming Alpha.

The Deep Fall of Pantheon

In early 2014, Brad McQuaid, known from Everquest and Vanguard: Saga of Heroes, founded his new studio Visionary Realms and started the development of Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen. This is a fantasy MMORPG, focusing on player interaction, group play, and old school mechanics (e.g. corpse runs, death penalties, item decay).
However, the development of Pantheon has not been under a good star so far.

Pantheon Landscape Screenshot
After many setbacks: The sun is shining again in Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen

Actually, the MMORPG was supposed to be financed through a Kickstarter campaign, but like so many other poorly running MMORPG campaigns on crowdfunding platforms before, the developers of Pantheon could not find enough supporters for the project and failed already halfway. The subsequently launched private crowdfunding action via their own homepage also fell short of expectations.

Pantheon Combat Screenshot

Without the urgently needed financial boost, the money was running out as early as April 2014, which forced the studio to cut back on development work and dissolve the original development team. However, Visionary Realms did not want to give up on the project so quickly, so Brad McQuaid continued to work with a small group of volunteers on the game, hoping to finance Pantheon with the help of players and other investors.

The Rise of the Fallen

This hope seems to have been fulfilled now. According to an official statement on the newly designed homepage, Brad McQuaid announces that Visionary Realms has finally gathered the necessary startup capital for the development of Pantheon and has already taken a big step towards Alpha.

“This changes everything for us. We were now able to fill some key positions and hire new game artists and game designers as well as more programmers. This has enabled us to complete the last elements of our prototype and prepare the game for Alpha. Now is the time where the fun really begins — we have a working game and will soon start showcasing it. We can hardly wait to finally hear the opinions of the players.”

Pantheon Landscape Screenshot 2

With the start of the Alpha, the studio wants to begin as early as the end of this year and if everything goes smoothly, then Pantheon could be released in 2017, or at least that is the plan.

The whole thing was made possible by a “business angel,” which refers to investors with extensive industry knowledge who not only participate financially in a company but also support it simultaneously with know-how and contacts. Some players even suspect that the anonymous benefactor might be John Smedley. He not only has the money and essential contacts but has also been a close friend of Brad McQuaid for years and recently looked for a new opportunity. However, this rumor has not been confirmed.

Pantheon City 2 Screenshot

Mein MMO says: Like so many other big names in the genre, Braid McQuaid is a colorful personality. He is still loved by some for EverQuest (SOE), while other players are bitterly disappointed by Vanguard: Saga of Heroes (SIGIL, later bought by SOE) as the game fell far short of its potential and promises despite many good ideas. Not to mention the bugs and content gaps at the beginning. Nevertheless, it is especially the old Vanguard players who, together with the EverQuest fans, hope that Pantheon will become a successful project. They have been waiting for years in vain for a new old school PvE MMORPG, especially since EverQuest Next with its new ideas and features is taking a completely different path than many fans of the original EverQuest had wished for.

Whether Pantheon has what it takes to become the spiritual successor of EverQuest, hopefully we can judge for ourselves by the end of the year.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

Destiny: Rank 5 at Banshee-44 lets Guardians discover new exotic weapon

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 3 minutes

In the MMO shooter Destiny the first players have reached rank 5 at the gunsmith Banshee-44. They found a new exotic weapon. However, the result was not as hoped.

In Destiny players are searching for the “Sleeper Simulant,” an exotic weapon, which Bungie has already introduced, but no one has found yet. The Sleeper Simulant is said to be a heavy fusion rifle whose projectiles can bounce off hard surfaces. The search for the Sleeper Simulant has been feverish in recent weeks, especially since the Exotic craze was fueled by the sudden appearance of the Black Spindle.

Sleeper-Simulant
Many had hoped for the Sleeper Simulant.

The popular theory about the Sleeper Simulant was that one would receive a more advanced quest for the Sleeper Simulant from Banshee-44, the gunsmith, if one had reached rank 5 there. The first have now ascended to this rank 5. They were able to do this because they were able to complete the weapon tests twice in some weeks.

The First Curse – exotic hand cannon discovered in Destiny

Rang5-Waffenschmied
Der-erste-Fluch-Destiny

The players at rank 5 have also received a quest. However, it is not for the “Sleeper Simulant,” but for another completely undiscovered exotic weapon, for “The First Curse,” a hand cannon. It is already in the database and was one of the 13 exotic weapons that could be viewed right at the beginning.
“The First Curse” is clearly inspired by “The Last Word” and forms a counterpoint to it. While “The Last Word” must be fired from the hip to achieve optimal performance, “The First Curse” is designed to be fired precisely.
The quest for “The First Curse” does not seem to be very complex. As with the class exotic weapons players simply need to achieve some hand cannon kills with activated telemetry. Then, at the next Arms Day, they will receive the weapon, or – which is more likely – the next quest step.

Initial reports suggest that one may still need to go back into the Crucible with a makeshift hand cannon to get kill streaks before getting “The First Curse” – after another week of waiting.

Destiny-Tex-Waffe

Since no one can obtain the weapon at the moment, we will only know for sure how it continues next Wednesday. And then we may have to wait another week to find out how “The First Curse” plays in Destiny.

With the Sleeper Simulant, some now believe in another hidden trigger. Perhaps the acquisition of the weapon is only possible in the hard mode of the raids or if one reaches an even higher rank with Banshee.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

H1Z1: After much „Hunger Games“, now back to „The Walking Dead“

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 2 minutes

After the zombie MMO H1Z1 hosted an elaborate tournament for Twitch, new gameplay content for the survival mode is now promised.

The mood around H1Z1 is currently not very good. The game was announced and planned as a “survival MMO”, a kind of “The Walking Dead meets Minecraft.” Players can craft weapons, build a shelter, run from zombies, and survive against all odds.

http://youtu.be/_Ko5AXctkIE

The arena mode has recently received a lot of attention from the H1Z1 developers

However, an arena mode, the battle royale, has received the most attention from the developers recently. Players compete against each other while toxic gas slowly seeps out from the corners of the map. The gas forces players into the center of the map and therefore into conflict. There are no zombies.

The mode has a clear ending, is more esports-oriented, and chains highlight after highlight, suitable for Twitch. Instead of “The Walking Dead”, it is more like “The Hunger Games.”

H1Z1-Twitch
The jackpot grew to 170,000 US dollars by the end.

To attract a broader customer base, the team has primarily worked on the arena part over the past few months, leading up to a big tournament at the Twitchcon at the end of September.

Now the tournament on Twitch is over and the developers promise: “It’s time to move forward with survival mode, to intensify our efforts.”

In this concept video, you can see what the artistic department of H1Z1 has been working on in September:

http://youtu.be/JN3JeGft3KI

Is it now time for H1Z1 to move forward

They promise:

  • Female zombies
  • The hospital complex is to come
  • Make changes to weapons and armor
  • A new crate with unique items
  • In the distant future, revamp base building and group mechanics 

Additionally, a “Halloween” event is in the works.

H1Z1-Blutiges-Krankenhaus
Part of the hospital complex that is finally set to come.

This is nothing spectacular; all of this had already been announced before it had to be delayed again. The most important thing is probably the commitment: Now we are really making survival again.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. reddit

Hearthstone: Check out these legendary ideas!

Cortyn Cortyn Reading time 2 minutes

Hearthstone still has potential for many legendary cards. A player has now designed some himself and even animated them completely!

The Fascination with Legendary Cards

Legendaries are definitely among the most exciting cards of Hearthstone. This is not surprising, as they usually have unique effects that can turn the tide of battle by 180°. As usual with card games, players eventually develop their own ideas and ultimately their own cards to introduce them to the player community.

The YouTuber Fullas Games takes it a step further: He not only develops several versions of beloved characters but also animates them with impressive effects to demonstrate how the cards would impact a game. Here we have a small selection of his best creations:

Archimonde, the Defiler

The first implementation is Archimonde, one of the leading Eredar commanders of the Burning Legion. For 9 mana, he offers solid stats of 8/8, but forces the player to discard their hand. In exchange, 3 random “Fel cards” are granted, which are particularly strong, such as the “Felguard Marauder”, a 5/7 taunt demon for just 4 mana.

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Aegwynn of the Council of Six

Aegwynn was a guardian of Tirisfal, the mother of Medivh, making her a wonderful choice as a mage card. Fullas’ implementation envisions a 4/7 minion for 6 mana. As long as Aegwynn is on the board, she replaces the mage’s hero power with “Unstable Portal“, which can quickly lead to a significant advantage – unless you continuously draw Imps.

Her second variant is also interesting; here she grants the player at the end of their turn a random secret – including those from Hunter and Paladin.

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Maiev Shadowsong – Unyielding Guardian

The last chosen example is Maiev Shadowsong. Here it has been particularly well done to transfer the lore into the card game. She is not only a strong protector but also an unyielding hunter who prefers to operate from the shadows. In the first version (5/4 for 5 mana), she has a Battlecry that marks all enemy minions. Her Deathrattle then causes all marked enemies to die.

The second idea is a Rogue card (4/3 for 4 mana) with the Battlecry: Return all friendly allies to hand. They cost 2 mana less. If Maiev is played in a combo, they cost a total of 4 mana less!

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On his YouTube channel, there are many more ideas, now over 30 of them. What do you think of the cards and their graphical implementations? Good ideas with great effects or absolutely exaggerated? Oh, and before I forget: Thanks for the tip, Wolferl!

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. youtube.com/user/FullasGames

The new Neverwinter module Underdark offers quests by author R.A. Salvatore

Andreas Bertits Andreas Bertits Reading time 2 minutes

Fantasy fans should be familiar with the name R.A. Salvatore. The author created the hero Drizzt Do’Urden and the Drow elves. For Underdark, the next module of the F2P MMO Neverwinter, R.A. Salvatore contributes a quest line.

Something is brewing in the Forgotten Realms. Deep in the Underdark, the home of the dark Drow elves, demons have emerged from portals, seeking to conquer the entire land. The hero Drizzt Do’Urden, an exiled Drow, must return to his former home to find the root of the evil. You will accompany him in the upcoming Underdark module of the MMORPG Neverwinter!

Notable Support

RA_Salvatore
“R.A. Salvatore” Source: “Pinguino, Flickr“

R.A. Salvatore will personally take care of a part of the story in the module, as he is designing a quest line for the game. Salvatore mentions that he feels like a game master crafting a story with quests for a tabletop group. However, writing a story for a game is completely different than for a book. The players should be the main characters, not the protagonists he has created. It has also changed entirely how to write about fantasy. While Tolkien had to describe his creatures like dragons or the Balrog in detail because no one knew how they would look at that time, now the focus can be on giving the characters more personality. After all, everyone knows how a dragon looks by now.

The author does not want to reveal too much about his work on Neverwinter yet, but he explains that he has a lot of fun developing his characters like Drizzt, the dwarf Bruenor, or the halfling Regis and incorporating them into the story. He also states that it is a challenge to distribute the overall story across the entire “Rage of Demons” campaign, which will take place not only in the game Neverwinter but also in novels, the D&D tabletop RPG, and the upcoming computer game Sword Coast Legends. Additionally, many things will be interconnected, which will especially interest fans of the Forgotten Realms setting.

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Underdark is set to be released this fall for the PC version of the MMORPG Neverwinter. The version for Xbox One will follow next year.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

Star Trek Online promotes players from Captain to Admiral

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 2 minutes

In Star Trek Online, players will soon be able to command other starships like a fleet admiral. The admiralty system is expected to arrive this fall.

In Star Trek Online, players have long risen to the rank of admirals but could only command one ship at a time. The rest remained in the space garage. That is not befitting.

For the season 11 of Star Trek Online New Dawn, which is set to be released later this fall, Star Trek Online has come up with something new that strongly resembles the ship missions from World of Warcraft. That’s only fair: Blizzard has essentially borrowed the followers from Star Trek Online as well.

Players will send their “replacement” ships on missions with season 11. Each ship of a new class they command will unlock a ship type that players can command as admirals. Mission durations vary between 15 minutes and 20 hours – up to 3 ships can be sent on a mission. The ships differ by stats and special abilities.

STO-Missionen

Starting at level 52, players will have access to the system. In a dev blog on the official Star Trek Online homepage, the details are discussed. The missions are supposed to follow a campaign that will gradually be expanded.

For those who can’t wait until the launch of the new season: The admiralty system will soon be tested on the Tribble test server by Cryptic.

This is the trailer for New Dawn, the next big thing in the Star Trek Online universe:

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Heroes of the Storm: The Medivac of Lt. Morales in Action

Cortyn Cortyn Reading time < 1 minutes

The latest patch of Heroes of the Storm is currently available for testing and people are experimenting a lot with Lt. Morales’s Medivac.

Once Ganking and Back! Is there a group ticket?

Currently, on the test server, the next hero of Heroes of the Storm can be tested. While many suspected in advance how much the Medivac, the heroic ability of Lt. Morales could impact the game, we now see concrete evidence of it. But just to remind:

Lt. Morales can summon a Medivac that appears at her location. All group members can board within 4 seconds and are taken to a previously determined location – simultaneously and almost instantly.

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This not only allows for incredibly humorous ganking maneuvers, where a five-person team descends upon an unsuspecting victim, but also daring actions, such as a spontaneous attack on the enemy Nexus.

Even if not all moves work as the respective Lt. Morales might have imagined (such as when only she boards and zooms in on the enemies), this new ability promises to create considerable chaos on the battlefields once the StarCraft healer (most likely next week) celebrates her release.

More about the game, future characters, and the current patch notes can be found on our Heroes of the Storm topic page.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. kotaku.com

Final Fantasy XIV: Finally! EU servers are coming to Europe – Date for the move is known

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time < 1 minutes

In Final Fantasy XIV the nominal EU servers will now also move to Europe. The dates are known.

It was a difficult birth. Over a year ago, Square Enix announced that the servers intended for Europe, the data center Chaos, would soon be moving to Europe. Now it is finally happening.

The affected servers are

  • Cerberus,
  • Lich,
  • Moogle,
  • Odin,
  • Phoenix,
  • Ragnarok,
  • Shiva,
  • Zordiark.

The move of the servers will result in a longer downtime. The affected servers will be unavailable from October 19 at 2:00 AM until October 20 at 12:00 PM. That’s 34 hours. This means, if everything goes well, it will be significantly under the 72-120 hours that were once estimated.

The server relocation is expected to provide a much more pleasant gaming experience for European players. Until now, the EU servers have been located in North America.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. Lodestone
  2. Lodestone

Hearthstone: Card Chaos from 30.9. is Duel of the Junk Piles

Cortyn Cortyn Reading time < 1 minutes

The latest card chaos in Hearthstone brings the most terrible technical achievements from Azeroth into battle in the week of September 30th: The Boom Bot against the Nerv-O-Tron!

Hello! Hello! Hello!

Right at 5 PM, the latest card chaos mode of Hearthstone was made available again today. This time, you are not playing any known heroes, but two of the most annoying metal piles ever produced by goblins and gnomes: The Nerv-O-Tron faces off against the Boom Bot! Randomly, it will be decided which of the two heroes you will play.

The respective decks are pre-built and synergize with the new hero abilities: The Nerv-O-Tron grants a random ally Divine Shield and Taunt, the Boom Bot deals two damage – split among random enemies. Currently, the Nerv-O-Tron seems to be a bit overpowered, as no player can withstand the annoying “Hello! Hello! Hello!” of its emotes for long without leaving a match in a fit of rage.

The decks are colorful and quite funny.
The decks are colorful and quite funny.

Remember that there is also a classic card pack to snag this time if you achieve at least one victory in the latest card chaos. Excess cards can be disenchanted as usual to craft other cards from the gained Arcane Dust.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

Destiny: Update comes on September 30th – Patch notes are here

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 2 minutes

In the MMO shooter Destiny, a patch is coming tonight, September 30th. The servers might also be down.

Last week there was already a patch, a hotfix, which we initially thought would lower the attack value of the Black Spindle, as announced. But it didn’t. Right now, you can still replicate the exotic sniper rifle Black Spindle from the weapon designs in high quality and infuse special weapons up to 300. This is set to change.

Black Spindle - Destiny

In the update that is supposed to come tonight at 7:00 PM, issues with the strike Cerberus Vae III could also be addressed. Currently, Valus Tra’urc (also known as Rockets McDickface) drops no loot.

We don’t know exactly at the moment.

If the servers go down tonight, as if Destiny is undergoing maintenance, and if so, when one can play Destiny again on September 30th, we don’t know at the moment. Right now it doesn’t look like there will be a server downtime; otherwise, there would normally be a warning tweeted about activities being canceled.

Irony of fate: Today the daily is active again, where you can obtain the Black Spindle.

Solar Titan

This is what Patch 2.0.0.5 does on September 30th.

The patch notes are here: The Black Spindle will once again not be touched.

Instead, they are fixing the problem with Valus Tra’urc in the strike Cerberus Vae III. He should now drop loot again.

They also fixed a bug that caused greedy chests to sometimes deprive players of their rightful loot.

And above all, they are fixing a severe exploit with the Sunbreaker, the new form of the Titan. Players were able to run amok by activating the Super and spamming the shoulder buttons, throwing the Hammer of Sol like crazy. This is no longer possible.

http://youtu.be/bLxk1QMeuCg

Now we just need to figure out what went wrong here…

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This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. Bungie

Chronicles of Elyria: After Aging and PermaDeath – Player Contracts

Andreas Bertits Andreas Bertits Reading time 3 minutes

The upcoming MMORPG Chronicles of Elyria promises to do things differently. An interesting system is represented by player contracts.

The developers explain player contracts based on how interaction between players often occurs in current MMOs. In principle, there would be little interaction, everyone does their own thing. For example, one player wants to craft a special weapon and must mine ore for that. Of course, they do this alone to increase their skill, or they buy the raw materials at the auction house without needing to interact with another player.

Alternatively, they spam the trade chat. Once they have gathered all the necessary resources to craft the particularly powerful sword, they find that their crafting skill is insufficient. So they take the materials to another player who is supposed to craft the sword for them. But what prevents that player from simply keeping the raw materials for themselves? This is where player contracts come into play. There is a distinction between explicit and implicit contracts.

Contracts are important!

Chronicles of Elyria trade contract

An explicit contract is a contract as you know it. Both parties sign a document and must adhere to the terms specified therein. It is also possible to enter into a contract with many other players. They then provide you with the aforementioned raw materials and automatically receive their payment in return.

Based on so-called character events, which consist of player activities such as trading, fighting, conversing, or exploring areas, the game’s engine knows what the players are doing and can consider the player contract as fulfilled or not fulfilled. Players always receive a prompt about what they need to do once they have agreed to a contract. This could be compared to the quest system from other MMOs.

Contracts can be very complex

Chronicles of Elyria negotiation

A skill called contract writing determines how detailed and complex you can create a contract. The better your skill, the more intricate a contract can be, including trade agreements, guild charters, marriage contracts, or even laws!
If a contract is broken, you decide whether consequences follow and what those are. However, you must also adhere to the laws of the respective region. In some, it may be allowed to take items from a player for breach of contract, while in another region you may only be able to demand money. You can appoint a sheriff to collect the debts for you. If a player manages to steal the contract from you, there may be no evidence that an agreement ever existed.

Implicit agreements must also be adhered to!

Implicit contracts also fall under the realm of law. One must adhere to the laws of the respective region without needing to sign a contract. Nevertheless, these laws apply, and those who violate them can expect consequences. Additionally, there are artifacts through which the player enters an implicit contract with a party. For example, one who wears the king’s ring must carry out the king’s will.

Interesting: Aging and dying – What the MMORPG Chronicles of Elyria does differently

The MMORPG Chronicles of Elyria seeks to take a step further in player interaction than current MMOs do. That sounds very interesting.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. chroniclesofelyria.com

Overwatch: Are private servers possible?

Cortyn Cortyn Reading time < 1 minutes

In Overwatch, players will not be able to host their own servers – that right is reserved by Blizzard.

All power to Blizzard

It shouldn’t surprise anyone anymore, but Overwatch will also require a permanent internet connection to play. This is more than understandable for a multiplayer shooter, but some fans were probably hoping for the possibility to host their own servers to be able to run the game at LAN parties.

Blizzard has now confirmed that all servers will be provided by them and players can only play on official servers. This has the great advantage that no one has to suffer from the disadvantages that private hosting of games brings with it: In games like Left 4 Dead 2, the loser could simply shut down the server – that had little to do with fair play. At the same time, the risk of above-average high latencies is avoided when everyone has to connect to Blizzard. Last but not least, game manipulation can largely be prevented and any “mods” will probably be categorically excluded.

Widowmaker Overwatch Closeup
Keep your hands off your own servers. They will not exist.

Nevertheless, there will be ways to create your own games with your own rules and invite only friends to a round. If you don’t feel like competing with supposed “randos”, you don’t have to take that risk – but you should have a large friends list.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. kotaku.com
  2. pcgamesn.com

Whine Wednesday: Startup Issues with WildStar – the Second

Cortyn Cortyn Reading time 3 minutes

Hey, it’s Wednesday! Hey, WildStar is Free2Play! Hey, nothing works! Sometimes my thoughts are very brief and focused, but the great advantage here is that there is another Complaint Wednesday to read. But okay, Cortyn, master your emotions, tell everything in order, and first calm your mind with a great cinematic!

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Yesterday at 6 AM, WildStar celebrated its second release and is now called WildStar: Reloaded. Because the game is now Free2Play, many players downloaded it in advance to dive straight into the SciFi MMO at launch. Of course, exactly what always happens during a Free2Play transition of a major AAA title happened: The servers couldn’t handle the rush.

The result was long waiting times at the login servers, along with a very questionable calculation. Supposedly I would have to wait nearly 120 hours before I could enter the game. Strangely, however, after 30 minutes, the first 118 hours had already passed – lucky me! Sometimes just the hope that things won’t be as bad as announced is enough.

Waiting times in WildStar - nobody would have expected that 6 months ago.
Waiting times in WildStar – nobody would have expected that 6 months ago.

As you can see, you see nothing

But I don’t want to blame Carbine solely for the login problems. It’s normal for a massive rush to happen on release day, which then suddenly fades away. It is also more than understandable that you don’t want to get completely new server structures for just one day that will only be 20% utilized in the following weeks.

A friends list without names. Very useful and incredibly motivating!
A friends list without names. Very useful and incredibly motivating!

However: It is really astonishing how little works in the game. While many of my friends (and I too) could overlook certain issues, such as the non-functioning in-game shop (which probably also relates to server load), other bugs were more serious. Friends lists appeared to be deleted, guilds dissolved, chats set up so that whisper messages could not be received (and also there was no other way to be notified about it).

Almost all social functions worked only partially or incorrectly. This made it very difficult to re-engage returning players to the game when you couldn’t even contact them to explain the new features.

Worse than any spam bot

A small extra award goes to the developer who thought it would be a good idea to send all “replacement runes” received from old equipment individually via mail. I surely have about 150 different messages waiting in my mailbox – if I should ever be very bored, I can surely spend an hour just on that.

Right now, WildStar looks exciting - but not much can be done yet.
Right now, WildStar looks exciting – but not much can be done yet.

But yes, I know myself that this may not be justified at the moment. However, since the problems seem to lie not only with the server but also with the patch itself, the unpleasant thought arises that WildStar could be experiencing its second spring right now – with all the pollen and childhood diseases that it brings with it. It just reminds me too much of the first launch. May the coming days prove me wrong. I hope the next few days bring swift changes … because I would really love to report some nice things.

P.S.: At the moment I preview the article, WildStar advertisement appears on the side. Sometimes it takes so little to make me smile.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

Destiny: The first Guardian has reached the maximum light level – but 300 is enough for everything

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 2 minutes

In the MMO shooter Destiny , the first Guardian has now reached the maximum light level.

The maximum level of 310 light is possible in Destiny. And last night, at least as far as we know, the first Guardian achieved this dream value in Destiny. It is a Hunter.

At the moment, he is still alone at the top, but Destinytracker already knows of 63 others at light level 309. It takes quite a bit of luck and endurance for the last few points.

That is exactly what annoys many players over 300. They complain that they can hardly progress and that reaching the new maximum level of 310 is not possible.

It is like back in the Glassed Chamber, when you absolutely needed boots to avoid getting stuck as “Forever 29,” it echoes through the Destiny forums.

Top-Spieler-Destinytracker

Game Director says: Light Level 300 is currently sufficient for everything in Destiny

Destiny-310

But at this point, no one should be sad or greatly concerned. On NeoGaf, Game Director of The Taken King, Luke Smith, spoke up and addressed the players about light level 300.

He essentially says: Don’t worry, it’s not like it used to be with “Forever 29.” It is currently nothing in Destiny that requires more than 300 light to have all advantages. Even the final boss of the raid does not have 310 light, but it’s capped at 300.

Whether you have 307 or 308 light, it doesn’t really matter in vertical progression.

You are the 1% of the 1% – don’t go crazy

Anyone who has reached a light value of 300 is well prepared for everything that is yet to come. Many who now complain that they can’t progress after 300, are the “1% of the 1%” of Destiny players, sometimes losing sight of how far they have come.

Destiny-Sniper

Smith himself is not so much obsessed with the light level (vertical progression), but with the ideal stat distribution of his characters (horizontal progression). He has hinted multiple times at how obsessively he pursues certain perks and values. He does take a look at guardians in the Tower who have certain items in the perfect constellation and surely does not appreciate that.

Read more about light levels in Destiny and how to progress:

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. reddit 1. Hüter mit 310 Licht
  2. NeoGaf
  3. reddit Luke Smith

Battleborn mathematically proves that it can calculate really well

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time < 1 minutes

The upcoming online shooter Battleborn presents its customization options for heroes.

With 25 playable heroes, Battleborn will launch, with “heroes” being an extremely broad term and not to be understood as “following a moral value system”.

A trailer has now shown what this mathematically means, how many combinations possibilities there are; in how many different ways each hero can be played, how many team combinations arise with 5 players, and how the various match combinations would look.

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If you look at this, you can only be glad that League of Legends has never done anything like this; due to their item mechanics and the larger number of heroes, the numbers would surely be even bigger –  maybe a mathematician would go crazy about these gigantic numbers and divide by zero or something!

Battleborn will be released on February 9 for Xbox One, Playstation 4, and PC. Prior to that, beta events are to take place.

Battleborn-Numbers

More about Battleborn can be found in these articles:

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Armored Warfare starts – Open Beta is soft release

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time < 1 minutes

The tank combat MMO Armored Warfare is starting on PC in just a few days. With over 60 vehicles, it aims to compete with World of Tanks.

Armored Warfare is a modern free-to-play game, and the open beta is akin to a “soft release.” Since you can’t really “buy” the game in that sense, players will retain the progress they make in the open beta upon release.

The open beta starts on October 8th. Those who purchased a founder’s package can start as early as tomorrow, October 1st. This is called a headstart. Exact times are not available yet.

The developers assure that they will continue to develop the game during the beta. A significant number of additional content will be added to the existing 9 PvP maps and 25 PvE maps.

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Armorerd-Warfare

We have dealt with Armored Warfare and the background of the game in this article: It is essentially designed as a modernized version of World of Tanks for all “tank enthusiasts” who can no longer stand World War II. Thanks to the role-playing background of developer Obsidian, Armored Warfare also features RPG elements.

After World of Tanks and War Thunder, Armored Warfare is the third player in this MMO niche, which is especially popular in the former Soviet Union. The special feature of Armored Warfare is primarily its PvE aspects. The competition mainly focuses on player-versus-player battles.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. AW

Dragomon Hunter: Housing becomes monster breeding!

Cortyn Cortyn Reading time < 1 minutes

The developers of Dragomon Hunter have now revealed that there will also be a home for every player character in their game: the Ranch.

A small home for all monster collectors

Newer MMORPGs continually seek to provide players with places where they can simply relax and spend some quiet time away from the many battles. Dragomon Hunter is no exception and offers players its own style of housing.

Every player gets access to a small ranch where they can engage in a range of activities with their Dragomons: Captured Dragomon can be leveled up and enhanced here (and petted a bit). When guests visit their ranch, they can even ride the Dragomon – the perfect opportunity to show off their pets.

Dragomon Hunter Ranch

Those who wish can also continue breeding their favorites, creating new creatures with special color combinations or unique strengths.

However, the ranch will not be without action: Occasionally, there will be attacks from wild Dragomon. However, the player’s own creatures can participate in the defense. More loot (rare crafting materials) awaits, but only if the players themselves fend off the attack – preferably with some friends, as everyone benefits from it.

In the future, the functions of the ranch are set to be expanded. However, lucky chosen ones can already try it out starting October 15 in the closed beta.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. facebook.com/dragomonhunter/

Elite: Dangerous gets its first Horizons expansion at Christmas time

Andreas Bertits Andreas Bertits Reading time 2 minutes

The space online game Elite: Horizons will be expanded in a few weeks with the first part of the Horizons add-ons.

Fans of Elite: Dangerous have been waiting a long time for Horizons. The add-on is expected to bring a lot of new features. However, it is referred to as the “Season of Expansions,” meaning that not all innovations will be introduced at once, but rather the developers will roll them out gradually. By Christmas this year, the first wave of new features will find its way into the online game.

Explore the secrets of planets

Elite-Dangerous-Horizons-Expansion

This includes the ability to land on planets. Without loading times, players can then enter the atmosphere of planets and moons with the Scarab as a ship and discover signals, crashed ships, resources, or hidden outposts and fortresses during scanning. These can then be explored or the resources mined.

It is also possible to encounter enemy ships in the atmosphere, leading to new types of combat. All of this brings you a lot of new rewards. You race through deep canyons or over mountain peaks of planets and can even explore the surfaces with an SRV (“Surface Recon Vehicle”).

Elite Dangerous Horizons Boden

There’s more to come!

However, the Horizons expansion series will bring even more. Next year, the multi-crew feature is set to be introduced. You will command large ships together with friends. Some man the guns, while others sit at the helm. This is connected to the introduction of huge motherships equipped with fighters. Your crew can then jump into these fighters during combat and defend your ship in space battles.

Additionally, the developers will introduce the ability to customize your hero in detail. You will then receive a character whose appearance you can determine down to the last detail.

Fans of Elite: Dangerous have good reason to look forward to this year’s Christmas season and the coming year!

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Source(s):
  1. www.pcgamesn.com
  2. www.elitedangerous.com

Black Desert: West-Release is progressing, now Daum is looking for European employees

Cortyn Cortyn Reading time < 1 minutes

At Black Desert , they are gradually looking for European employees to serve the European market.

The Black Desert is Moving to Amsterdam

Step by step, Daum Games is preparing for a closed beta phase of Black Desert. In this context, the team behind the MMORPG with the incredibly detailed character editor and the cat madness is also expanding in Europe. Currently, there are four positions to fill.

One of them is the “Lead Localization Specialist,” who – as the name suggests – is primarily responsible for translation work. Whether this means that Black Desert will also be available in other European languages besides English remains to be seen, as it could also involve external content, such as websites. Other positions are Game Master and Community Manager.

Black Desert Job Posting

Anyone who feels called to perform such a task must, however, endure a relocation – as it is expected that the positions will be filled by people from the Amsterdam area.

Slowly but surely, things are happening – a start of the beta version therefore becomes more tangible, even if there is still no specific date.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. mmoculture.com
  2. gamesjobsdirect.com

Destiny Guide: Tlaloc, Pikass, Fabian Strategy – How to get the exotic class weapons

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 4 minutes

In the MMO shooter Destiny , three exotic weapons were added: Tlaloc, Pikass, and Fabian Strategy, which are class-exclusive. Tlaloc is only for Warlocks, Titans get the Fabian Strategy, and Hunters get the Pikass.

Amid the commotion surrounding “King of the Possessed”, it has been a bit overlooked: Three of the known exotic weapons can actually only be used by one class each. Yes, they are class-specific. It’s a crazy new world in Destiny, and we live in it.

The three class-specific exotic weapons that came with King of the Possessed are the scout rifle Tlaloc for Warlocks, the hand cannon Pikass for Hunters, and the auto rifle Fabian Strategy for Titans.

Destiny-Wieder-im-Sattel

We will show you on the next pages how to get the three weapons for each class – it’s not a big problem, it involves the quest “Back in the Saddle”. And we will show you what the weapons can do.

A warning in advance: One of the three weapons is a dud. It is currently still buggy.

Tlaloc-Destiny

And now guess which class is stuck with an exotic weapon that does not work as it should …

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