In the MOBA League of Legends the new patch 5.10 will be released on Thursday, May 27. It not only brings the new champ Ekko, who is introduced in a Champion Spotlight, but also several changes to Cassiopeia, Ryze, and many other heroes. Furthermore, it offers the option to play Lol sugar-free and restricts the snowball madness in ARAM.
Riot is nice enough to explain the new champion Ekko. He belongs to the “Skirmisher Assassins,” which means he has less punch than a full-blown killer, but also the ability to disengage from a fight that isn’t going well. Individual combos are introduced, tips are shared, and impressive kills are achieved – with very few puns made.
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With Music Man Online, there is now a spiritual successor to Steps. The niche of dance and social MMOs is to be filled anew.
A few days ago, we were alerted by a reader that the dance MMO “Music Man Online” is set to launch soon. Dance MMOs occupy an extra niche among niche games. They are considered more “casual-oriented,” focusing on skill and the social interactions of the community that arise within such a game.
The game is set to launch in Southeast Asia. Since an international trailer has been released, we can assume that it will appear without IP blocking, making it interesting for the German player base looking for a new game.
The reader hopes to reach as many former Steps players as possible and make them aware of the new game. There is currently no release date, but that should be coming soon.
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In cooperation with the developer Dream Reactor LLC, we are once again raffling off 50 keys for the closed beta of the card game Spellweaver TGC.
Unfortunately, the open beta had to be postponed to June 15. For this reason, the developer has provided us with additional closed beta keys to distribute. Since our introduction to the game, “Spellweaver TCG – An alternative to Hearthstone?“, there have also been some changes:
The daily quest system has been revised. Among other things, these can now be canceled. Furthermore, there is no longer a “Win X games in a row” quest.
The deck creation has been overhauled. Previously, decks were tied to heroes, meaning each hero represented a deck, requiring multiple or even duplicate heroes for more decks. Currently, there is no limit on the number of decks that can be created.
There is a leveling system. With a level up, you receive among other things titles or gold. The required experience points (Fame) are earned through games and quests.
As well as numerous bug fixes and balancing. Among other things, the issue of regular server crashes has been resolved.
With the start of the open beta, there will be a reset of the accounts. Those who have invested money need not mourn the loss. They will receive after the reset 1.5 times what they purchased back. Additionally, for every 10 completed games in the closed beta, 1 booster pack will be awarded in the open beta (up to a maximum of 50). Those who unfortunately had no luck and do not want to wait any longer have two more options. They can register on the official website spellweaver-tcg.com with their email address and hope that a key will be sent to them. Alternatively, they can also pay at least $10 and receive a key along with some bonuses.
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We are conducting the raffle with the raffle tool godankey, following the motto: First come, first served. Your data will be anonymized, not stored, and only used for sending the codes. Participation is free and legal recourse is excluded.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In the MMO shooter Destiny, a loot table for the “Prison of Elders” is becoming apparent. Here’s how it works with the treasure key, the vault, and the loot.
There is quite a bit of confusion surrounding the vault and the treasure key. About 10 days after the DLC House of Wolves launched in Destiny, the patterns are now becoming clearer.
In the Prison of Elders, Bungie has deviated from the old model in Destiny: Not every enemy drops something anymore; instead, at the end of a run, there is a visit to the “vault” where two small chests and one large chest can be opened. The two small ones open automatically, while the large one requires a treasure key.
So, you want a key from me?
Where do you get the treasure keys?
There are four ways to obtain treasure keys. Only one guarantees success.
Guaranteed Treasure Key
Completing the main story of House of Wolves awards a guaranteed key. That’s it. The rest can only be obtained with a probability. It was thought that maybe there would be a guaranteed key each week. This is definitely not the case.
Chance for Treasure Key
Chances for a treasure key (in German Schatzschlüssel) include:
At first, it was thought that the bosses in the “Prison of Elders” had a chance to drop treasure keys: this is not the case.
The Vault in the Prison of Elders in Destiny
Guaranteed Rewards
For guaranteed rewards in the Prison of Elders, there are once a week and per character when the activity is completed and the small treasure chests are opened:
At Level 32, an armor core, 200 reputation with Variks
At Level 34, a weapon core and an Aetheric Light, 300 reputation with Variks
At Level 35, an armor and weapon core and Aetheric Light, 500 reputation with Variks
To obtain all guaranteed rewards, one must also complete all modes. It is not possible to just do the 35 and expect to get everything. The armor and weapon cores can be exchanged with Variks for weekly changing rewards (42-level armors, 365-level weapons). Or one can purchase a surprise package from him for both cores.
What’s in the small chests?
The two small chests in the vault can always be opened. Here, there is a chance for strange coins, light particles, planetary materials, and treasure keys. Various tokens for which Variks hands out ships or shaders have also been observed.
What’s up with the large chest?
To open the large chest, you need a treasure key.
The content of the chest appears to be the same at levels 28, 32, and 34: There is a chance for an exotic item (armor and weapons), one out of 10 different Queen’s weapons, one class item (only one per class), strange coins, and light particles.
The guaranteed exotics from the large chest
Upon the first opening of such a large chest with a character, there seems to be a significantly increased, almost guaranteed chance of an exotic weapon. After that, according to a survey among players on reddit, the chance is about 7%.
At the moment, it seems that the weekly reset does not play a role here – the question is just: Have you opened a large chest with this character before? Yes or No?
If No, you have almost a 100% chance of getting an exotic weapon.
If Yes, then about a 7% chance for a weapon or armor.
However, like much in Destiny, this is currently not set in stone but more like written in pencil.
The large chest at Skolas
At level 35, there is all of this plus another ship, a shader, and an emblem. These are always the same three items. They are available the first time one kills Skolas and opens the large chest , similar to the corresponding items with Atheon and Crota.
from left: Dreg’s Promise, Lord of the Wolves, Queenbreakers’ Bow.
What does this mean for me? How do I do this best?
It seems best to obtain the treasure keys by farming the public events and applying the tricks we’ve described.
However, it doesn’t seem like they are “worth it” to farm at the moment. The yield is just too low. Except if one is opening a chest for the very first time with a character, is keen on the cosmetic items from Skolas, or wants the Queen’s pink weapons.
The actual rewards in the Prison of Elders are rather the cores, Aetheric Light, the elemental weapons from Skolas, and the “Elder Cipher” for the 3 exotic weapons – none of these require farming treasure keys.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The Dark Fantasy MMO The Secret World brings a feature that achievement hunters in many MMOs wish for.
“What are achievement points actually good for?” one wonders in many games. Almost every MMORPG has players chasing this high score. The most adventurous achievements must be earned, players are bombarded with points, pop-ups, and objectives: Yes, cheap motivational tricks, of course, but they work.
WoW has a lot of achievements: Apart from the bars turning completely green, little comes out of collecting achievement points.
In World of Warcraft, the points are already in the five-digit range, but you can do nothing with them. It is a high score list that you chase for your own sake. It only serves to compare with others (“I have this much, do you have more or less?“) – and that’s it. Only individual achievements give direct rewards. Most give nothing.
Funcom’s “The Secret World” now brings what many achievement hunters wish for in their MMOs: A vendor that only offers specific exclusive items to players who have a corresponding amount of achievement points. This is set to go live in The Secret World next week. It will be exciting to see how Funcom implements this. As a bonus feature, the achievement vendor is supposed to allow players to reclaim achievement rewards that they have destroyed.
My MMO thinks:This is surely an idea that other MMORPGs should at least consider, so that the “pure high score” has a bit of meaning. It would certainly be a pat on the back for hardcore achievement hunters, and they surely count among the most loyal fans and the hardest core of any MMORPG. Especially in games that have been around for a few years, achievement hunters have invested a lot.
So please, dear other MMORPGs, would a few costumes, mounts or pets tied to achievement points really kill you?
Or what do you think, dear readers?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In the MOBA League of Legends the new patch 5.10 is coming early Thursday morning, on May 28th. After this, the new champ Ekko is expected to hit the live servers.
The patch notes for 5.10 are not yet finalized, but it can be assumed that they will closely correspond to the latest version on the test servers. This means that starting tomorrow Ekko, the new champ, will be live and can cause a stir. On the test server, his power has already been slightly adjusted downwards. He was able to convert early advantages into an ever-increasing lead too easily.
The patch process is expected to begin at 6:00 AM our time. At Riot, they expect things to be back in action on the battlefields around 9:00 AM.
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Do you still remember the Super Nintendo? Or maybe the N64? Those old gadgets where you inserted game cartridges, and if they didn’t work, you just had to blow into them and everything was fine again? This week made me a little nostalgic. Because console games had a significant advantage: They were bug-free. At least more bug-free than a lot of what you see today.
I have no idea, but…
As a gamer without any programming knowledge in the game field, it is of course easy to just complain. Jan Theysen (Creative Director of King Art) once said that MMORPGs require nearly a hundred times more effort than single-player games. Therefore, I don’t want to focus on MMOs at this moment; the hope for a bug-free MMO has died for me over the years.
My most recent example: The Witcher 3
An excellent example is the new “The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.” Please don’t sharpen your knives, because the game is quite good overall. But it is a single-player game, and for that, it still has a relatively high density of bugs. Why are there weapon upgrades that allegedly grant “+0 attack power” according to the tooltip? Why can’t some quests be completed? Why do some dialogues loop endlessly? Not all of these errors are absolute “game-breakers,” but they are present and, to put it bluntly, they are really annoying.
Since many errors occur repeatedly and can also be reproduced, I find it hard to believe that these are rare isolated cases that were simply overlooked. Was perhaps a lack of time the crucial factor here?
Why do we accept this?
What I seriously wonder: Why do we accept bugs in such large numbers at all? I can’t think of a good example where I could accept an unfinished or faulty product. Or would you buy a Ferrari if the fourth tire and the passenger seat were delivered two weeks later?
Of course, games are becoming increasingly complex, but can that really be an excuse? A few years ago, developers couldn’t fix such errors afterward – because you couldn’t patch an N64 cartridge. If I were to be mean (and I sometimes am), I would accuse the game developers of simply accepting that they can fix it later with patches. Nowadays, you can release anything faulty on the market without concern and let the players take on the role of beta testers – a patch will fix it.
Who, in your opinion, is to blame for this development? The publishers who want to release faster? Or are bugs now inevitable and a truly “bug-free” game is an absolute utopia? And of course: Which game has truly ruined your fun at launch due to bugs? Let me know in the comments.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In the MOBA Heroes of the Storm , a bot decided a match between two professional teams.
Normally, bots are what my-MMO gaming journalists and other total casuals secretly play against League of Legends and Heroes of the Storm. For professionals, they are hardly worth a weary smile.
In a match between the two eSports teams Cloud9 Maelstrom and compLexity, however, a bot made the difference. Here, a player from Cloud 9 went “link-dead,” lost connection, and was replaced by a bot. It performed remarkably well as an Elite Tauren Chieftain.
First, it feigned complete noobness and got the melee faction of compLexity hungry to kill to attack it, then it skillfully used its AE stun and its human helpers took out the compLexity team: an early decision.
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In the survival MMO H1Z1 a patch will be applied on the afternoon of May 27th. This brings new features such as hearing zombies or more head selection for the survivors.
In H1Z1, the patch schedule has been changed. Previously, patches were always on Thursdays, but they were often postponed to Fridays. Unfortunate:If problems arise, the developers are already on the weekend and have to be called back. This was simply not a good idea in the long run.
Now the servers are patched on Tuesdays and the patch for the next week is always deployed on the test servers on Thursdays.
Today, on May 27th, the servers will be down from 14:00 to 16:00 our time.
What the patch on May 27th brings for H1Z1
The patch now allows zombies to hear, they can react to explosions.
Female and male survivors have different head models to choose from during character creation.
And there is significant tinkering with the hardcore mode of battle royale, although there are still numerous issues – including bears, night vision devices, and zombies introduced. There are also new rewards.
Players can now fire from a vehicle, but the driver cannot.
Otherwise, many difficulties with grenades, bows, crossbows, shoes, animations, and crafting have been fixed – as with every H1Z1 patch. You can find the complete patch notes in English in the sources.
In the MMO shooter Destiny , Skolas, the leader of the House of Wolves, is the final boss in the Prison of Elders. We show you videos on how to defeat him.
Skolas waits at the end of the 35-tier version of the “Prison of Elders“ every week for the players. It seems that he is the only variable here: His “modifier” shifted from Solar Burn (Week 1) to Arc Burn in the second week.
As with Qodron, there are also “two” methods to defeat Skolas. One involves taking him down quickly before he gets any silly ideas. The other is more like “We play this cautiously and adapt to every situation.”
Everyone can surely imagine which tactic is more popular among Destiny players. Spoiler: The one with the quick take-down.
We still want to present both methods to you. While the second method is not a “real guide”, but more like: This is probably how the developers wanted it to be played.
Skolas – Solar Arc Burn (English)
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The Burn Method for Skolas with Solar and Arc Damage
The Burn Method for Skolas involves ignoring and bypassing the boss mechanics as much as possible – some jokingly call this tactic “The tactic for every single Destiny boss in the game”.
It’s about dealing maximum damage to Skolas so that he dies within a time window of 30-50 seconds, before he starts with the “difficult stuff,” forcing the Guardians to run and fight against the adds.
However, one game mechanic must still be taken into account: A “white Servitor” must be killed first; only then can Skolas be properly attacked. This grants the buff “Servitor Connections are weakened” for 20 seconds. When Skolas drops below 50% HP, the message “Servitor Connections are interrupted” appears, after which the Servitors can be ignored.
Skolas Arc Burn (Snipers)
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For maximum damage on Skolas, players need a Titan bubble to stay in and then particularly strong weapons: For Solar Burn, “Gjallarhorn”, for Arc Damage either Arc Sniper Rifles with Field Scout or Arc Shotguns like “The 4th Horseman” and then Arc Rocket Launchers to finish it off. The previously overlooked 4th Horseman has been impressively buffed in one of the recent patches.
In the meantime, a Hunter can already defuse the mines, and players can maintain their damage output with “heavy ammo synths”.
Skolas Arc Burn (Shotguns)
http://youtu.be/LNPl94aPVxo
We have prepared videos for you on how the individual Burn methods work. In principle, it always comes down to the same thing. What’s important is that Skolas stays within that small time window before mines and debuffs become a problem when he reaches 50% HP.
The Other Method – Survival
The “proper” method is significantly more complicated and makes Skolas a challenge that likely lies on a similar difficulty level to a raid boss. These fights need to be practiced. It’s not about constantly dealing damage to the boss but rather repeatedly pulling back, clearing the adds, changing positions, preparing to defuse the next mines, and carefully managing the debuffs. The Guardians try to stay alive, maintain control of the fight, and outlast him.
Again, it’s advisable to send out a Hunter who can invisibly defuse the mines during the fight. The mines come twice – the first time at 50%, the second time at 25% of his HP.
Additionally, there’s a tricky debuff that must be passed around. It lasts for 30 seconds, turns the affected player’s screen green, and kills them when the timer reaches 0.
Skolas Arc Burn (Normal Fight)
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This debuff must be passed to another player by having the other player “take” this debuff. It’s not as simple as just instantly passing it to the neighbor; it has to be coordinated, and the fireteam needs all 3 players for this. Because when someone else has taken the debuff, you can’t take it back for another 35 seconds. This means: Player A passes it to B, who passes it to C, who then passes it back to A. And it’s best to do this so that everyone lets it tick for 20-25 seconds first.
This strategy is significantly more demanding; it requires coordinated retreat and movement, new positions must be taken repeatedly, the adds play an important role, and the mines must be kept an eye on and defused in time.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Finally, the guys and gals behind Evolve have managed to deliver a surprise. The new game mode “Arena” is included in the current patch and is now available to play.
No Hunting, No Hiding
In the Arena mode, it’s all about pure, brutal fights. There’s no long hunt, and the monster has little chance to hide, as both hunters and monsters are trapped in the dome from the start – and that until the end of the round. The monster begins at Stage 2 but can theoretically still ascend to Stage 3 if it kills enough hunters or eats wildlife.
Because such a round usually lasts only a few minutes, a total of 3 matches are played to determine the winner – each time under a different dome, but on the same map. There are 5 different positions per map, which makes a grand total of 70 locations. The mode is particularly suitable for players who are not yet confident in combat and want to explore the strengths and weaknesses of their character or simply seek some action without having to hunt the monster first.
On PC, the patch is just under 3 GB in size and is available for download now. Like the “Broken Hill” maps, the Arena mode is free! And before anyone asks: Yes, the game is still being played.
https://youtu.be/gz6VXEdGOdU
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In World of Warcraft there is an old acquaintance waiting for players at the end of the next patch. However, Archimonde, the final boss of the Hellfire Citadel, has learned new tricks.
It will probably take another 2-3 weeks until the Patch 6.2 is deployed on the live servers and provides WoW players with new raid content, but even now, successful guilds are diligently trying out the bosses on the test server. Two guys from FatbossTV created a video discussing the main mechanics of the fight.
If there is no tree to burn…
WoW veterans will still remember Archimonde, as they had to defeat him once in the Caverns of Time. To create a certain degree of recognition, some abilities overlap with the “old” version of the fight. Unlike back then, however, no saving wisp will appear; instead, Grommash, Khadgar, and Yrel will fight by your side while Gul’dan strengthens the boss from the background.
High into the flames
One of his most famous abilities was probably the “Throw Up”. A random player (and everyone in the vicinity) will be thrown up and take fall damage upon landing. In the new version of “Shadow Burst”, high magic damage is dealt upon landing in a small radius, which is distributed among all affected players – as soon as someone is lifted into the air, you must quickly run under them to “catch” them.
Flame beams, which slowly crawl towards players, will likely also be remembered well – a mechanic that has since become a staple of boss fights. As a special addition, Archimonde can redirect all existing flames and hurl them directly at the players. Constant movement and quick reactions will be required, as expected, even in the normal mode of the fight.
These are just two of his abilities. As a high-ranking member of the Burning Legion, he naturally calls forth countless minions, rains down demons from the sky, opens portals to the Nether (or banishes tanks there), and distributes a ton of effects on the ground. The fight has three phases, with even these breaking down into sub-phases. In the end, pure chaos reigns, where adds must be kept apart, the boss must be tanked, and raid damage healed.
For a more detailed insight into his abilities, you should check out the video:
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Please keep in mind that the abilities may still change. The video also mentions that the boss is still slightly too weak and will likely receive a buff or two before the live version. More about the patch and WoW can be found on our topic page for World of Warcraft.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The military MMO Armored Warfare is in an early access phase starting tonight.
Armored Warfare is clearly designed as an alternative to “World of Tanks,” taking place after World War II and incorporating some RPG elements into the genre. We have presented Armored Warfare.
The game enters early access tonight in our time. However, it will not be available around the clock, but only for a few hours each day.
The first round begins on May 27, 2015, and runs until June 3, 2015. The operating hours are as follows:
EU Servers:
6 PM – 9 PM German time on weekdays
5 PM – 10 PM German time on weekends
Everything listed below will be available during early access:
38 vehicles from various countries ranging from Tier 1 to 6 (including 11 tanks, 4 light tanks, 5 tank destroyers, 13 armored vehicles, and 5 self-propelled howitzers)
4 PvP maps (Cold Strike, Harbor Storm, Quiet River, and Ghost Fields)
Updated artillery system (including the new perspective, artillery reconnaissance radar, and artillery firing recognition)
Commander and crew skills
Various tank upgrades (including smoke grenades and ERA)
Two arms dealers (Marat Shishkin and Sofie Wolfli)
A wide range of shells that you can fire at your enemies
A clan (“Battalion”) system and a platoon system
Achievement system (for excellent performance in combat)
Player statistics
It is not an “open beta” in the usual sense. Access to the EA of Armored Warfare is available through giveaways, founder packs, or if selected by Obsidian after registering on the website for the EA.
In the fantasy MMORPG The Elder Scrolls Online, German voices from Hollywood stars were hired to give the fantasy epic the necessary gravitas. An overview of the voice actors.
Yes, it’s John Cleese, the most famous Monty Python, who sits around with a pot on his head and mumbles wildly as Cadwell. That’s him in the original, and to ensure that it’s also him for his fans in German, the German voice of Cleese, Thomas Danneberg, was hired. And all the German voice actors that players will find familiar are now introduced in a video.
I think it’s so great that Saruman speaks for the Prophet
Overall, there are a lot of famous voices in the video about the voice actors for The Elder Scrolls Online (Hey, isn’t that Alec Baldwin?), but relatively few faces. That’s why it’s often said in the comments: “I think it’s so great that Saruman speaks for the Prophet.”
This feeling, by the way, is exclusive to us Germans. In the original, it’s not Christopher Lee (Saruman) who lends his voice to the frail Prophet, but Michael Gambon (Professor Dumbledore). The two actors share a voice in German: Otto Mellies voices both wizards and also the Prophet.
For other roles, the English and German voices differ a bit more. The Daedra Prince Molag Bal is voiced by Malcolm McDowell in the original, but in the German version, he suspiciously sounds like Al Pacino. For Mannimacro, a voice actor who specializes in video games was hired for the original, while in the German version, he is voiced by Martin Kessler, the voice of diverse US stars like Vin Diesel or Nicolas Cage.
By the way: The voice acting and the work in the studio not only ensure recognition value and atmosphere, but also contribute to the fact that patches for TESO always come in double-digit gigabyte sizes. The release is expected to be around 60 GB.
In the MMO shooter Destiny, a new boss named Qodron awaits the Guardians in the Prison of Elders. He is a Time Lord of the mysterious Vex.
Today, the Guardians saw the third of four possible combinations of the “Arena” Prison of Elders for the first time on levels 32 and 34. On level 34, a Vex Arena is now active for the first time, where Qodron awaits at the end.
How can he be defeated?
The Brutal Method
The Guardians have come up with two methods. The first is called… well… it would probably best be described as “brute force” or “lolololol“. The tactic involves the Titan placing a bubble right at the entrance, everyone shooting Qodron like crazy with their Gjallarhorns, using heavy ammo synths under the protection of the bubble, and then sending him over the edge.
The tactic clearly continues the trend that some have already observed, that the Gjallarhorn is increasingly becoming a key that grants the owner access to supposedly elite circles.
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Advantage of the Tactic: It’s foolproof; no mechanics need to be considered.
Disadvantage: It’s pretty boring, and you need three Gjallarhorns for it.
The Other Method
The other method involves really facing the fight. Really fighting, taking cover, the old-fashioned stuff; you may have heard of it in ancient legends.
This requires understanding a boss mechanic. Qodron traps players in “bubbles”. He announces this with the phrase “Qodron is looking for his targets”. Now it’s important, or best a bit before that, to find a metallic-glowing Goblin named “Qodron’s Eye.” The player who defeats this Goblin can free other players from the bubble for 30 seconds if he shoots at them – preferably with a shotgun. He receives a corresponding buff.
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In the fantasy MMORPG World of Warcraft, the dispute between Blizzard and the bot provider Bossland goes into the next round.
The ban wave affecting supposedly 100,000 users of the bot “Honorbuddy” has prompted the provider of Honorbuddy to temporarily withdraw the most well-known WoW bot for a week. Now they plan to strike back and release a new version by the end of the week. However, they do not guarantee anything for that.
It’s still unclear what exactly happened and how the bot was discovered. One theory suggests Blizzard may have installed “malware” on players’ machines to find out who is using the bot. This is still uncertain. Last time, Blizzard was accused of reacting harshly due to a court case that appeared to favor Bossland.
In this time, we tried to figure out what happened. We must say that we have no idea what really happened and all we have are speculations.
We speculate, that at some point, Blizzard used parts of the World of Warcraft client that acted in a hidden manner like malware. Then they scanned everything they could scan on a given computer and flagged the ones they thought were operating against their TOS/EULA. They are fine to install any such malware-type hidden software at any given time according to their End User Agreement.
A number being mentioned is contradicted: 100,000 users of Honorbuddy have not been banned. There were never that many.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Blizzard’s MOBA Heroes of the Storm has entered an Open Beta worldwide. In South Korea, it is promoted with models in various cosplays.
“Things are different elsewhere,” said former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder aptly. As mmoculture reports, the Open Beta of Heroes of the Storm in South Korea is being advertised with the help of “Maxim Korea,” a men’s magazine. They send a few models over.
In the video, the beauties slip into the various costumes of the heroes and villains from Blizzard’s gaming history. While this seems somewhat appropriate for Nova, it might be a bit far-fetched for Nazeebo. But who would really want to complain about that, right? Okay, on closer inspection, a few names do come to mind. Anyway, here’s the video:
http://youtu.be/uHEEgcfKmek
We took the title image from the video.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
For players, the discussion sharpened to whether one prefers to play on a dead server with their own land or on a full server without land.
However, according to Trion Worlds, this question is not relevant at all. They have repeatedly stated that “server merging” is the wrong term for what they are planning. It doesn’t fit. They will take a “non-conventional approach.” It seems to be about merging the “populations of the servers” without anyone losing their possessions.
At the moment, Trion Worlds cannot or does not want to provide more details. It is currently difficult to answer questions or conduct a discussion without the basic FAQ regarding server transfers. That should be available soon.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
At a press event in Western France, new information regarding the future of Final Fantasy XIV has been revealed. One topic was also the announced EU servers, which Square Enix has kept quiet about recently.
So far, the data centers are only located in America and Japan. Players from Europe have to deal with a higher ping. This means that the sent data packets take longer to reach the server. This can lead to delays, briefly referred to as lags. In an MMORPG like Final Fantasy XIV, this doesn’t have to be as big of a problem as in a shooter. Especially the combat system places only low demands on the MMO players’ reaction time with a cooldown of 2.5 seconds.
The Mogry is buried elsewhere. Players complain about the void zones: these are orange-colored areas that signal a threat. Players should get out of them as quickly as possible to avoid taking damage. Those coming from Europe often have problems with synchronization because the commands reach the server too late. The character’s location remains in the danger zone, without the player being able to see it.
This leads to the player still taking damage even though they appear to be in a safe position. In rare cases, “rubberbanding” can occur, causing the character to be suddenly teleported back: a rubber band effect.
What we knew so far: In autumn, Square Enix announced that the EU server would receive a new location. Moving from Montreal, Canada to Europe. However, all of this was still early planning, as stated.
What’s new now: Work is currently being done on the data center and server equipment is being purchased. The transfer is to take place as soon as the equipment arrives. This is expected to happen this year; the new EU servers will arrive in 2015.
Players have waited a long time for this. Since the release, many contributions on this topic have piled up. Better late than never, is probably the motto. Could it be that the game is now to become more appealing to Europeans?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In just under a month, on June 23, 2015, the first major expansion for Final Fantasy XIV for PC, MAC, PS3, and PS4 will be released. We had the opportunity to speak with the head of the MMO, the Japanese mastermind Naoki Yoshida, about his baby.
The entire event focused on Heavensward was held in France, near Nantes. We stayed there together with other German journalists, YouTubers, Chocobos, and Moogles. Naoki Yoshida is the Game Director, the face of FFXIV, and something like a beacon of light. If there is currently a MMORPG messiah worldwide, we had him in western France for half an hour for an interview.
The dear colleagues: “What can you still rate poorly?”
The day began with a presentation of the expansion, in a dimly lit room with medieval flair, which was able to capture the dark atmosphere of Heavensward well. Final Fantasy XIV will become harsher, focusing more on the conflict-laden background of the universe. What we saw in 60 minutes was already impressive. Huge amounts of content, accompanied by goosebump-inducing videos and musical performances by star composer Nobuo Uematsu.
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When we finished the presentation, Maria Beyer-Fistrich, Asia-MMO expert and editor at buffed, approached me and shrugged: “Now I really don’t know what could speak against a very high score“. This could mean higher than 85%, as that is the current score. I silently agreed with her, nodded just like my Hyruan during a story cutscene. You know, like in the main scenario when it comes to saving Eorzea.
Even Frank Fischer, the industry guru, known among other things for his Wiped column at Gamona, later expressed his astonishment in our conversations. Those who know his column know that this is not necessarily to be expected. He is considered one of the biggest advocates of the sandbox, seeing it as the future of the genre. Theme park MMOs do not come off well in this regard. Although Final Fantasy XIV does not offer any real sandbox features and the somewhat unfamiliar Japanese kawaii style for Western standards drives him to despair, he has great respect for what Square Enix has achieved in the last 2 years and now with the expansion.
We mostly agree: In the market of MMORPGs, it is hard to find a game that has been continuously developed at such a rapid pace. With a scope that is unmatched. In 21 months, there have been 18 major content updates. These are characterized not only by more of the same, but they regularly enrich the game with entirely new game systems: housing, weddings, Chocobo racing, mini-games like Triple Triad, flying mounts, airships, and much more. Heavensward takes it to the next level.
What Awaits Us with Heavensward
During my play session, I had the opportunity to check out two new areas, complete FATEs (dynamic public quests), craft airships, wipe in dungeons, and put the crazy Gilgamesh back in his place with a full party. But before we get to the impressions, we want to give you the basics about the new add-on. Here are the facts, what Heavensward brings.
Done with the facts? As you’ve noticed, the list of changes is long. But is quantity equal to quality, and are the contents well-rounded at all? We had all afternoon in groups to test the content of Heavensward and can give a preliminary forecast.
First Impression: Good. Way too much to look at in a few hours.
First off: All the content played made a good, polished impression. However, there was too little time to get a deeper insight. Some details were beyond our reach, and we were not allowed to interact with NPCs or show the story .
With the zones, I immediately noticed positively that they appear much larger than in ARR. The areas in Heavensward surpass the areas of the predecessor by 50 or even 100 percent.
That sounds like a lot, a whole lot. Finding a comparison is difficult here: Russia is 50 times larger than Germany. However, this is likely due to the fact that “over the clouds” numerous independent plateaus are floating. There is therefore no emptiness in the Earth’s atmosphere. The platforms are reached with flying mounts. These are twice as fast as their counterparts on the ground and are pleasantly steered in all directions. What I personally miss: a temporary turbo boost that I learned to love in other MMORPGs.
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For me, the combat system of Final Fantasy XIV still belongs to the weaker areas of the game, if I can put it that way. Here I want to commend that the new job abilities come across more powerfully on the screen. They radiate a force and harmonize visually better with the “flashy combat system”. Many animations of the previous abilities often get lost in the effect storm, appearing almost boring. They have improved this with the new skills; even in instances with other players they are still eye-catchers.
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The dungeons – we ran through some of the new ones – are variably designed. They offer impressive bosses as usual. The graphics upgrade through the Direct X 11 support makes the settings even more beautiful, especially noticeable in the reflections. Otherwise, it’s more of the same. Many will look forward to the new raid Alexander, which opens its doors 2 weeks after the release.
Of the 8 instances, by the way, 5 are on the level path, the other 3 present challenges in the endgame. The difficulty level is more aimed at casual players. This means: Journalists are a bit overwhelmed by it. The game masters from Square Enix tried their best to support us. Except for one, who played the new job “Dark Knight” as a DPS class and constantly pulled monster groups. Luckily, we had Thomas Wallus from PlayMassive in the team, who played the astrologian, a healer.
The Machinist was my favorite – “because he has Guns”
Speaking of new jobs: I was particularly taken by the “Machinist,” a Gunner DPS class. I am not alone with this preference. The Machinist held the first place on the community’s wish list for a long time. Fans demanded it like no other job. With the class design of the ranged fighter, efforts were made to address multiple play styles.
This makes it possible to force the opponent to their knees while moving with the stylish gun. Ideal for players who prefer dynamic fights. However, if you want your gun to really heat up, you change the gameplay with a skill. This means that while the attacks require a certain effect time to charge, they also cause significantly more damage.
A slight disadvantage: They must be executed from a standstill. The turrets that the Machinist can set up round off the gameplay. They provide AoE damage in a certain radius or enhance the skills. In the end, almost every journalist wanted to play a Machinist, even the GMs from Square Enix. The explanation for this could not be simpler: “…because he has Guns“. Unfortunately, new players cannot enjoy the new jobs as quickly. The content up to Patch 2.55 must be completed to claim their right to it. And general: Do only the old players benefit from the expansion?
“For subscribers, the content is very attractive, but have you also thought of new players?”
Naoki Yoshida is a very authentic, friendly guy. When my mother saw the photo, her comment was: “Is he your age?”
With this question, I confronted Naoki Yoshida after the test round. Because we in the Mein MMO editorial team feel that there is still room for growth in Germany with Final Fantasy XIV. It is undeniable that the style is very unique and that the classic combat system with a cooldown of over 2 seconds seems too outdated for some. Nevertheless, these are rather points that depend heavily on subjective preferences.
“For those who have not yet played Final Fantasy XIV, ‘A Realm Reborn’ is the starting point. New players have a long story line ahead of them and find a highly expanded game before them, with all the updates that have been introduced up to 2.55. They have access to everything.”
I missed the big hook in his answers to this topic, why Heavensward would be the perfect entry point for players who have not yet found their way to Eorzea or have only briefly checked it out in the beta or with a trial version. However, he is of course right that ARR was also continuously developed and offers newcomers a comprehensive MMO.
“With the launch of Heavensward, all rewards and experience points for completing the story quests will be adjusted and increased accordingly, so that you can catch up with the other players more quickly.”
There is also an all-in-one bundle that includes both A Realm Reborn and Heavensward.
It would certainly have been interesting if the developers had redesigned the old areas so that they would also be accessible to the flying mounts. This is said to be planned for a later date, as I was told. Overall, the game really picks up from level 20 – but then the free trial version ends abruptly. It is not necessarily easy to recognize what high quality is hidden behind this rough diamond. The partially missing voice-over in the main storyline can be disturbing for new players, as some comments on our site show. The announcement of a complete voice-over of the main scenario would also have been an argument.
Conclusion: Especially for active or former players, there is actually no way around considering Heavensward a mandatory purchase. The criticism points at release were consistently eliminated: One can hardly complain about the lack of variety in the endgame and the small zones.
But new players should also take a look, as long as they sympathize with the Asian style. Admittedly, Final Fantasy XIV remains a very special game that does not suit every taste. One should also not have any apprehensions about a classic combat system akin to World of Warcraft or expect sandbox content. For those who do not have a problem with that and with the subscription model: A lot has happened in the world of Final Fantasy Online in the past 18 months. It has improved. Fans of theme park MMOs should not miss a trial run.
We will keep you updated in the coming days: With further excerpts from the interview and information about the future of FFXIV.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
