Ben Brode, one of the developers of Hearthstone, talks in his video blog about the issues of Power Creep in Blizzard’s card game.
The balance between newcomers and veterans
Since the last expansion of Hearthstone, the Grand Tournament, some voices have emerged again: Blizzard is said to be operating what is known as “Power Creep” in its card game – that is, continuously strengthening newer cards so that the older ones gradually become useless. This has been particularly evident in examples like the Devious Manipulator or the Icepick, which highlight this issue.
Ben Brode has now created a short video to engage with the community and discuss this topic. According to him, this is primarily related to a second criticism in the community: New players find it difficult to start playing Hearthstone now, as it is almost impossible to acquire useful cards and decks without investing a lot of money. But take a look for yourself at what Brode has to say about it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGc6hAr8r6c
To keep the game fresh and exciting, it is necessary to introduce strong, new cards without completely devaluing the old ones. This is a very narrow path for the developers, and they have not yet found a perfect solution. However, Ben Brode wants to keep all players informed with videos in the future and involve them in the development process.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In the MMO shooter Destiny , the developers have answered some of the most pressing questions regarding the massive patch 2.0.
The Weekly Update, the weekly letter to the community, came extremely late at Destiny yesterday. It was only released around 3:00 AM. We summarize the key points.
The Weekly Update opened with a thank you to the players and the live-action trailer:
http://youtu.be/gHYyadoUzdw
Bungie’s Response: Chill and Wait
The main part of the Weekly Update consisted of a list of answers to the questions that players have been plagued with since patch 2.0:
Some players already have access to the SUROS package. This is a mistake. It is intended for September 15. Then everyone will have access.
The exotic class items that come with the digital collector’s edition of “The Taken King” will be unlocked on September 15.
It is known that the legacy playlist and patrols do not give reputation. This will change on September 15. However, players completing missions now will not be rewarded retroactively.
Players who reach level 25 or higher with a faction can accept a special quest there. However, the quest cannot currently be completed. That will only be possible with “The Taken King.”
There seems to be confusion about new emblems. The new “Taken King” emblems will only be available with “The Taken King.” Additional steps are required that will only be possible with September 15.
In short, if you are currently having issues in the game, Bungie’s response is: Just wait until Tuesday.
Soundtrack and Ghost Plushie
Otherwise, the Weekly Update is used to introduce some merchandise items. Now there are “Ghost plush toys” in the Bungie store. Over the weekend, the second new Crucible mode, “Mayhem,” will be unlocked. All players can enjoy the madness there as part of the Crucible preview.
A new soundtrack for “The Taken King” is being released, a preview is already available as a wav file, and they promise to bring the soundtrack to the respective download stores.
The Sandpark MMO ArcheAge will be offline for 48 hours starting tonight and will awaken as a significantly changed game on Saturday evening.
Starting tonight at 10:00 PM, the servers for ArcheAge will go down for 48 hours, at least that’s the plan. During this time, Trion Worlds, with the support of a specially arrived team from Korea, will make several changes.
There’s really a lot to do. Players should be able to download a patch before the restart, which is estimated to be around 1.3 gigabytes. When the servers come back online on Saturday, August 12, around 10:00 PM (assuming everything goes according to plan), a land rush is expected. This is when players of ArcheAge go hunting for land. It resembles scenes from a winter sale or the summer holiday towel rush at hotels for lounge chairs, only that players in ArcheAge can fly around and build structures in the blink of an eye.
Trion Worlds wants to ensure that everything goes smoothly during the land rush this time and that hacks are avoided.
It will be exciting, especially considering ArcheAge’s difficult history with such mammoth tasks.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Another trailer has been released for the MMO shooter Destiny that prepares for the expansion “King of the Taken”. The special thing this time: It is a live-action trailer.
The story: A Guardian has defeated the villain Crota. Now his “daddy” has come to take revenge. Players should be able to identify with the hero, as they also killed the dark Crota in the first DLC “Darkness Awaits” and not always by fair means.
How the Guardian deals with this somewhat unfortunate situation is shown in this trailer in German directly in the post above. We have included it in English here as well. Then you can compare.
How you deal with the situation yourself … you will find out next week. It starts on September 15.
http://youtu.be/RpDLxs8z08A
If you want to see more than trailers, but all the exotic weapons known so far in King of the Taken, continue here:
Achievement hunters should be cautious – there are significant changes happening in SWTOR. Last chance for titles and achievements!
Titles and Achievements will disappear soon
With the next major patch, many game data from Knights of the Fallen Empire will come, which also means some changes to the existing operations. These will be raised to the new maximum level. Some difficulty levels will be impacted by this change. The “Nightmare” variant of Karagga’s Palace and the Eternity Vault will be removed entirely.
All items that were previously only available in the highest difficulty will now drop in the “hard” mode. The outlook is worse for the achievements and titles that were exclusive to completing these operations – they will disappear from the game. Those who already have them will retain them after the change, but they can no longer be earned.
Anyone who wants the rewards from the Nightmare operations must hurry.
Achievement hunters are therefore urged to use the remaining days to grab the achievements before they disappear forever into a galaxy far, far away.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Dragomon Hunter it revolves around the various monsters of the game world – a new trailer now shows a selection of the numerous specimens.
About bouncing mushrooms and quirky beetles
In the game world of Wyveria, the setting of the F2P MMORPG Dragomon Hunter with its anime-cuddly look, the titular Dragomon play an important role. They are not only a large part of the adversaries in the game – and thus direct sources for experience points and loot – but can also be tamed and then used as mounts. With over 100 different species, the game already offers a decent selection of various creatures at launch. Aeria Games has now released a small trailer that presents a solid and diverse selection of monsters:
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Dragomon Hunter is set to release in Europe this fall, unfortunately only in English and French. However, those who are not discouraged by this will be able to try out the game later this year.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
At the same time, there was a class in contention that can use a “Big Sword.” However, it likely won’t be its own class; instead, the Warrior, originally trained with sword and shield, can use the Big Sword as an alternative weapon. This could be a skill that only experienced warriors learn over time. In gameplay terms, Black Desert plans to soon expand the desert zone Valencia. In phase 2, a coastal region will be added. In phase 3, marine trade, pirate ships, battles on ships, and the discovery of a new continent, a new region Kamasivia, are on the agenda.
Furthermore, PvE enemies for groups are set to come, and there are plans for large underground dungeons. The Ninja is expected to arrive in September, while the other game systems are planned for fall/winter.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The developers of Evolve took part in an “Ask me anything” session on reddit and revealed many exciting details about the past and future of the asymmetrical shooter …
Free2Play and too little content
Does Evolve offer too little content to justify Free2Play? According to the developers, no.
A recurring topic is the demand for Free2Play and the accusation that Evolve offers far too little content for $60 compared to the predecessor game Left4Dead. The developers believe that about 3-4 times more work went into Evolve than into L4D, and this is reflected in the content and gameplay options. Numerous points have been listed to support this claim:
L4D had 4 survivors, with no special equipment and a total of 8 weapons. Evolve had 12 hunters at launch with 36 unique weapons/items.
L4D had 5 special infected, of which only 4 were playable and each had only one ability. In Evolve, there are more than 20 different types of wildlife and 3 monsters with 12 different abilities, perks, and talent points.
While both games launched with 16 different maps, in Evolve, 12 of them can be played in different modes and influence the next map in more than one way.
L4D had no progression system. There were no levels, no perks, and no customization options – all of which is not the case in Evolve.
More maps and adaptations in the future
The team is extremely pleased with how well the Meteor Goliath has been received by players. In the future, there will also be further adaptations of existing characters – even for the hunters! The next planned adaptations are “Lightning Markov” and “Rogue Val“. What exactly differentiates these two from their original designs is not yet known. Like the new Goliath, the adaptations of the hunters will also be free, as will new maps that are currently in development.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmXly1DRNx8
The lore of Evolve
Evolve contains quite a lot of story details – but they are not always easy to access.
Many players wish for more information about the game world of Evolve. They ask questions like:
Where do the monsters come from?
What motivates the individual hunters?
Why does the planet look the way it does?
It was then expressed that the developers love the backstory as well and that there are already many details hidden in the game – and not all of them have been found yet.
There are certain dialogues that only play when a specific hunter group looks at a very specific object on a specific map – and is not in combat with the monster. They definitely see this as an area for improvement. Most players enjoy the dialogues that are played within the landing ships, but very few know about the conversations that are only present on the surface of Shear.
Pricing and DLCs
At TurtleRock, the pricing structure and publication policy of the DLCs were also seen as a problem, but they emphasized that this was entirely in the hands of 2K. For this reason, the developers held back a little, probably to avoid stepping on anyone’s toes – but they are confident that 2K has learned from the past months and will make appropriate changes. The prices for the DLCs have already been reduced, and this is likely to continue in the future.
Satisfaction with the Free Weekend
The Free Weekend brought numerous players to Shear – many were positively surprised.
The developers are particularly satisfied with the impact of the Free Weekend. Numerous players stated, “If only I had played Evolve earlier. The ratings online put me off, but the game is much better than I thought it would be.” In general, the developers are very proud of their game and believe it has the potential to be taken off the shelf by friend groups for years to come to play a few rounds – because Evolve is fun and the type of fun is timeless.
Anyone who has not yet been tempted to try Evolve should consider the current offer on Steam – the base version now costs only €15 and the “Monster Race” edition, with all previous DLC characters, costs €30.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In the MMO shooter Destiny , the Playstation-exclusive Strike “Echo Chamber” has now been revealed, along with all Playstation-exclusive weapons and armor.
For Xbox players who are just coming out of the Dust Palace and are looking forward to embracing “Fallen Moon” next week, thinking: “Has this whole exclusive madness finally come to an end?”, should quickly wipe the tears from their friends’ faces – because the “exclusive madness” continues.
In the stream, you can see the Jade Hare, the new exotic scout rifle. We see the Playstation-exclusive armors and the Strike “Echo Chamber” in full length. This is the new Playstation-exclusive Strike that has already received so much praise.
Since DeeJ is participating, they gave everyone complete 310-light gear. It thus looks a bit like a children’s birthday party and seems like the Destiny developer, a sort of gaming Jesus, could solo and effortlessly play through it with one hand tied behind his back.
Augmented Reality is becoming increasingly relevant for the gaming industry. Now, Nintendo has announced a game with Pokemon Go that shows where the future of online and mobile games could be heading.
We have already reported on how Augmented Reality could change mobile and online gaming. Google’s game Ingress was even a pioneer in this regard. But with Pokemon Go, this type of gaming could now become mainstream. The online game is set to be released in 2016, which can be downloaded on your smartphone. When you are on the go, you can search for Pokemon in the real world. These will be displayed on the screen through the phone’s camera.
It will look as if a Pokemon is hopping around in front of you in the park. You have to catch it. To catch one, you throw a virtual Pokeball at it. The Pokemon can be found everywhere. Whether in a department store, in an alley, in a field… the game invites you to search for the creatures anytime and anywhere – “Catch them all” is the motto once again.
Challenge other players to Pokemon duels online
Source: TheVerge
If you meet other players who are also using Pokemon Go, it is possible to challenge them to a duel. This will also be displayed via Augmented Reality on the smartphone’s screen, and it should look as if the creatures are battling on the street.
If you do not want to fight with other players, you can alternatively trade Pokemon you have caught with them. So that you do not always have to walk around with your smartphone in hand to make sure you don’t miss a Pokemon, Nintendo offers a smartwatch-like device called Pokemon Go Plus. You wear it on your wrist. If a Pokemon is nearby, the device starts to light up, and you can quickly grab your phone to search for and catch the creature. Pokemon Go is set to be released in 2016 as a free app for Android and iOS devices.
Andreas says: It begins. I believe that Augmented Reality will play a very large role in the future. Pokemon Go shows a mass-market beginning. From there, it could very well continue. You complete quests in the real world, battle other players in parks against orcs or dragons, and improve your hero. This will likely not be limited to smartphones but eventually extend to Augmented Reality glasses if Google’s Glass should ever be released for the consumer market.
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The launch of Sandpark MMORPG ArcheAge is accompanied by 16 pop stars in China.
As MMO Culture reports, they have come up with something special in China to help the Korean MMORPG ArcheAge have a successful launch. There is a trend in Asia called “Idol Group.” It is somewhat similar to … um … a mix of carnival performers, contestants from singing competitions, and Kawaii.
In Japan, the most famous idol group is “AKB48,” while in China there is a variation called “SNH48.” These SNH48 ladies have been partnered with for the launch of ArcheAge in China.
There is a music video for it, and the 16 ladies were digitized and included as “Guide NPCs.”
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Putting absurdity aside: The China version has already received quite a bit of praise from observers in advance. They seem to have not only acquired some cosmetic features like a panda glider or costumes tailored specifically for China,but they have also seemingly secured some kind of special treatment from the Korean developer XLGames, such as faster content and similar benefits.
Even the testing phase was surprisingly long in China. Let’s see how it turns out in practice, whether it was just PR hype or if the China version can truly stand out.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Skyforge , players are given the chance to catch up to veterans. Additionally, a second raid is coming, this time against Mechanoids.
In Skyforge, there is hardly a limit to how far you can go. Players can continuously develop their character by unlocking an incredible number of points in the talent tree and increasing their prestige (a kind of substitute level). This makes it difficult for beginners to keep up. And with every passing week, it becomes more challenging.
While there is a limit to how high one can rise, it constantly climbs higher with each week. While veterans only need to pick the newly added points to stay at the maximum, a massive amount of potential accumulates for beginners.
With the next patch in Skyforge, the team aims to address the issue. Players will receive bonuses upon completing activities, which will be higher the further they are from the top players who have been dominating since the beginning of the open beta.
The patch that brings these catch-up bonuses is called Aelion’s Call and is set to go live on September 16.
It also includes a new 10-player Mechanoid raid and introduces operations as a new endgame activity. Up to 40 players can participate during an invasion.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Japan, they also promote Destiny with a trailer for the new expansion “The Taken King.”
In Japan, they took a different approach for the commercials for “The Taken King.” A young woman and a man are waiting in a coin laundry for a friend who called them there. He shows up in full Hunter gear, shouting about the need to fight against the darkness, or else it will consume humanity, and acts quite … what’s the word? Crazy.
In other words: He is extremely passionate about convincing his friends to play Destiny together.
If you play the video, it’s best to turn on the subtitles. You can do this by clicking the list icon in the lower bar of the video – it’s the third icon from the right.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Last night there was a live stream that answered the most pressing questions from the Blade&Soul community regarding the beta phase …
German Servers? Low Pings?
On the official Twitch channel of Blade&Soul, the developers revealed some details about the upcoming beta phase of the forthcoming Free2Play MMORPG yesterday. We have summarized the most exciting answers for you here:
We already know that the beta will start on October 30 – at that time there will be no servers in Germany yet. These will be available starting November 24. This addresses the latency question satisfactorily; however, it is not yet conclusively clarified whether there will be exclusively German servers with a German community at launch. The name reservation included in several founder’s packs will take place only after the beta weekends and will follow the principle “first come, first served.”
7 character slots during the beta – in the live version this could get expensive.
What does the beta include?
During the beta, all accounts will have 7 character slots – allowing all classes to be thoroughly tested! In the release version, there will be only a few character slots, but they can be purchased afterwards for Ncoins in the shop. If you’re unsure about what you want to play at launch, you should use the beta for thorough testing.
The premium membership is an exclusive feature of the NA/EU version and therefore needs to be tested in all its facets. For this reason, players will experience different levels of the program over the weekends – it could be that during the first weekend you already have bonuses as if you had been in the premium program for 12 months. However, these progresses, like your characters, will not carry over to the live version of the game.
The Warlock will still be a while off.
If you were looking forward to the Warlock, you will be disappointed. This character class will not make it into the beta, nor at launch, and will be added in a later patch.
The developers also warn that this is a beta: Players should therefore expect to encounter bugs and should ideally report them via in-game tickets so that they can be fixed before the official release.
Finally, all streamers can breathe a sigh of relief – there will be no non-disclosure agreement (NDA) during the tests. This is no longer considered up-to-date, and recent experience has shown that it is not followed anyway.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In League of Legends, the Project skins are finally out. They transform five champions into a kind of battle robot/cyborg/killer beast. Riot has provided two trailers.
It really was a longer story, first there was a cryptic riddle, then it was revealed what it was about: special skins for Fiora, Yi, Lucian, Leona, and Zed. Later, it was revealed what makes these skins so special: They provide a unique loading screen and also cause some changes in the game. The impressive splash art was also shown. And now the skins are really available and there are also 2 trailers that we will introduce to you.
Until September 16th, the “First Strike” project is running. Anyone who buys one of the five skins during this time will receive an exclusive loading animation that goes with it. Those who buy it afterwards will not.
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In the first week and later, the skins cost 1350 RP (except for Yi, who has a new voiceover, so he costs 1820 RP). In the second week, the 1350 RP skins will “only” cost 975 RP, but then you won’t get the loading animation anymore.
During patches 5.17 and 5.18, the Project skins, if several players use them in a match, also affect the minions, which is called “Project Sync.” This will fade later.
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And as is typical for Riot, all these skins are also available in bundles and special offers. If you take all 5 and add the original Project: Yasuo skin, it costs 7897 RP. Nearly 13,000 if you also need the champs.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In the MMO shooter Destiny , the weapon tests at Banshee-44 start on Wednesday, September 9, at 7:00 PM.
After yesterday’s commotion with the patch and the patch notes that contained so much information, there are five things to follow up on this evening.
The weapon tests at Banshee-44 are starting right now. Bungie announced this on Twitter. The gunsmith Banshee-44 receives a completely new function with 2.0. One can now earn reputation with him by taking on bounties that involve testing weapons. Bungie encourages all Guardians to report to Banshee-44 at the Tower for the weapon tests.
Field testing of new weapons from the Gunsmith begins in one hour. Report to Banshee-44 in the Tower at 10AM Pacific.
Those who get along well with him will have the opportunity once a week to choose the right brand among various legendary weapons. Banshee-44 will then deliver at a set time.
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Patrols, No Time to Explain, and the Nightfall Strike
Additionally interesting:
Bungie points out that the new Patrol missions can be played now, but there is no payout yet.
Anyone missing the (now legendary) No Time to Explain because they dismantled it can replay the mission in the Garden of Salvation and receive the upgraded version – replaying is possible via the new quest kiosk. Anyone who still had the weapon in their inventory or vault will find the legendary version there now.
In the upcoming multiplayer shooter Star Wars Battlefront, the Drop Zone mode has been established.
Drop Zone will be the third mode that beta players can try out, alongside “Walker Assault on Hoth” and the Survival Missions.
At its core, it is an 8-versus-8 King-of-the-Hill variant with the twist that the control points will drop from the sky gradually. Because these are escape pods. Players must stay close to an escape pod to take possession of it, to “retrieve” it. When a team controls a zone longer, the pod opens up and reveals a power-up.
A team wins either by controlling 5 pods or after 10 minutes, if it controls the majority of the pods. If necessary, there will be decisive pods to compete for.
The developers describe Drop Zone as a dynamic game with constantly changing objectives and high dynamics.
“This corresponds to the design philosophy that underlies many of the game modes in Star Wars Battlefront,” explains lead level designer Dennis Brännvall. “We promote the concept of a fast, action-packed game where you need to be constantly moving and reacting quickly. Camping definitely does not pay off.”
The use of Viper droids or turrets is also a strategic variant.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
On time at 5 PM, there was again a card chaos in Hearthstone. This time, it revolves around the Deathrattle effect – as it is triggered multiple times.
You must die twice
Also this Wednesday there is again a new card chaos in Hearthstone. As usual, the rules will be twisted a bit. This time it affects the card effect Deathrattle, as it is now triggered by default 2 times. The new gameplay rules of “You must die twice” allow Nerubian Egg to spawn two Nerubians and Explosive Sheep quickly blow up the whole board. As last week, you need to assemble your own decks that take the greatest advantage of these special rules.
It can happen so quickly – the board is full and the round is practically lost.
As every week, there is also a classic card pack for the first victory this time. If you have no use for the cards contained therein, you can easily convert them into Arcane Dust to ultimately craft cards from The Grand Tournament – so no one should miss out on the pack!
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The start date for the Closed Beta of the fantasy MMORPG Blade and Soul has now been confirmed. There will be 5 beta weekends starting at the end of October.
In Blade and Soul, there will not be a continuous Closed Beta; instead, a model with beta weekends has been chosen. Here is the schedule:
Weekend: October 30 to November 2
Weekend: November 13 to 16
Weekend: November 24 to 30
Weekend: December 11 to 14
Weekend: December 18 to 21
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The first two weekends will have Blade and Soul available only in English, but starting at the end of November, it will also be available in German and French. During the extended third beta weekend, the European servers will also be inaugurated.
The third-person MOBA SMITE is now also available on Steam and attracts new players with special offers.
Offers for New Players
Those who have not given SMITE a chance yet may now be provided with new incentives. The MOBA from HiRez Studios, which has gained attention particularly due to its third-person perspective and relatively detailed depiction of various gods, is now also available on Steam. In addition to the typical Steam achievements that offer new challenges for many players, there is also a special offer: The “ultimate god pack” costs only €15.99 until September 13, includes not only all current gods, but also all that will be released in the future – and there is currently no end in sight.
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A major account transition is not necessary by the way. If you have played SMITE on PC in the past, you can simply download the game via Steam and continue playing with your old account, without having to miss out on anything.
A Little Bonus …
Today we are doing our giveaway a little differently. In the best “first come, first served” manner, we have three codes for the new god Xing Tian. Whoever redeems them first can enjoy the warrior along with his recolor.
PCXT1F9C871A50901
PCXT1FD0CBAB50901
PCXT20309C8150901
Good luck – may the fastest win.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
