Two MMORPGs for Dungeons & Dragons? Do we need that? Turbine’s Dungeons & Dragons Online is holding its ground, but Neverwinter is also achieving some successes.
Many gamers are wondering what the future of Dungeons & Dragons Online will look like. After all, the MMO is almost 10 years old and essentially there is a quasi-successor in Neverwinter that plays significantly more modern. However, Turbine, which also operates the still successful MMORPG The Lord of the Rings Online, sees this differently. In an interview with the US site Massively Overpowered, Senior Systems Designer John Cataldo stated that Dungeons & Dragons Online offers many advantages over other MMORPGs.
One of them is the many customization options for your own hero. Hardly any other MMORPG would come close to this. The expansion options for one’s hero through Feats, Skills, and Prestige Classes would keep it exciting to play with your character even at high levels.
Furthermore, you would have access to all worlds from the D&D universe. While one started with the world of Eberron, they would have additional worlds in sight besides the excursion into the Forgotten Realms that they would like to visit in the future. Although it was not specified which worlds they have in mind, for example, the Gothic Fantasy Horror realms of Ravenloft or the dark post-apocalyptic Fantasy desert scenario of Dark Sun could bring a significant fresh wind to the genre.
Dungeons & Dragons Online is not at the end of its rope yet, despite nearly 10 years and the competition from other MMOs, especially Neverwinter. With the planned Update 27 for July, they intend to introduce the Warlock as a new class. There is still a lot in store for the fans of DDO!
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In the MMO shooter Destiny , the weekly Nightfall strike on May 26 is against Sepiks Prime on Earth. The Prison of Elders and Variks have also been reshuffled – we have the results.
A lot has changed in Destiny over the last 7 days: Players can hear the howling of the wolves. There are a lot of new resets and cooldowns, the routine checking for Nightfall and Heroic Weekly delivers unusual results.
The weekly Nightfall strike can now feature some fresh modifiers. The heroic Weekly leads to a different strike than the Nightfall. Players have a load of new or even old weapons freshly in their arsenal. Variks and Brother Vance’s inventory changes weekly. The Prison of Elders rotates. In Trials of Osiris, there is a different map each week – much has changed.
But as the past has shown: In some weeks, a lot will have become routine. At the moment, it’s still overwhelming how much there is to deal with regarding the new reset at 11:00 AM, how much there is to learn. But that’s what we are here for.
This week, the weekly Nightfall strike is against the Ball of Terror, against Sepiks Prime. In the weekly heroic strike, the “Shadow Thief”, the new DLC strike, is up.
The Modifiers for the Nightfall Strike on May 26
Nightfall – If all Guardians die, it goes back to orbit
Epic – The modifier makes enemies significantly tougher than on “Heroic”
Angry – enemies are not stopped even by damaging hits
In the heroic Weekly, it’s the new DLC strike “Shadow Thief” with the Specialist modifier active. It doubles the damage from special weapons.
What else does the weekly reset bring? What does Variks sell, what’s going on in the Prison of Elders?
Variks is selling a Fusion Rifle this week (weapon core available in the 34 Prison) and the Chest (armor core available in the 32 Prison).
Brother Vance’s inventory for Trials of Osiris is still hidden.
This is how the waves in the Prison of Elders are
In the “Prison of Elders,” the 35 strike remains almost exactly the same: The first 5 waves are identical. In the boss wave, Skolas now has Arc Burn instead of Solar Burn as in the last week.
What weapons would you like? – The recommended loadout for Nightfall
By now, the selection of weapons is significantly larger than in previous weeks. All raid weapons from “The Glass Vault” are interesting again, and even some long-forgotten vendor weapons from the first weeks of Destiny can come back into great shape. But perhaps a few ideas will help you, even if it will hurt some to part with the Vestian Dynasty for even a second.
Since no burn is active in the Nightfall strike (kind of a melee burn… okay), you can use whatever you want this week.
Tips, Tricks, and Guides for the Nightfall without Burn Sepiks Prime
At this point, we will later embed videos of successful runs in the Weekly Nightfall Strike. Generally, the rule is: Play Nightfall cautiously, avoid getting hit too often in a row, take cover in between, and regenerate. Last week, there was a particularly brutal video of a solo player taking on Omnigul, who died in the very last exchange of fire, just a heartbeat before he would have successfully defeated the Nightfall alone. No one wants to experience that feeling.
The first video: Nexxos guides with two colleagues through the “Melee Burn” Sepiks Prime. He recommends using the new weapons specifically designed against the Fallen from the arena. But also the Fatebringer or Black Spindle are strong options. He recommends Arc as the first elemental priority and Solar as the second. It’s a calm, well-explained run that eases the individual passages of the strike with small tricks and tips. Safe spot tips are at the end.
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In the MMO shooter Destiny , players quickly found ways to exploit the new mechanics within just a few days. With certain tricks and knowledge of specific Cheese-Spots the “Prison of Elders” becomes a piece of cake.
Destiny and the Cheese-Spots – a story full of misunderstandings
Cheese-Spots or glitches have been a huge problem in Destiny from the very start. “Just stand under the stairs and shoot at the boss, he won’t find you there; “Jump over here, and you won’t even have to deal with this boss mechanic” was the talk in the Destiny forums and Teamspeak.
No luck with Cheese-safe – new glitch spots in the Prison of Elders
There isn’t a raid with “House of Wolves,” but rather the 3-player arena “Prison of Elders.” Here, fans initially thought: This is just a wide area – there won’t be any Cheese-Spots here at all. It’s specifically designed so that no one can hide.
Players were excited: “Now it’s about skill in Destiny. No hiding and camping, everyone has to go out into the open field and react.” Because it involves defusing mines, eliminating special enemies quickly – all under the constant fire of ever-advancing hordes of enemies.
Additionally, certain mechanics are implemented such as forced teleportations – all of this should ensure that the Prison of Elders can only be conquered “legitly,” as they say, meaning in the “right way.”
But this assumption also turned out to be an illusion this time.
Video shows Destiny from its weak side
Our friends from ProNDC have processed the information from the Reddit experts in a video and demonstrate Cheese-Spots in the Prison of Elders where enemy spawns are completely interrupted or where enemies cannot reach the Guardians. Both take all urgency and tension out of these spots.
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ProNDC and many other players hope that Bungie will respond quickly and fix these problem areas. The past teaches us: It’s not exactly super likely that this will happen soon.
ProNDC’s announcement that they would also send the video to Bungie to alert them does not resonate well with every fan: “Why do you want to do that?” is heard under the video. “Then it gets too hard, you die, and it’s frustrating.”
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In the SF-MMO WildStar , the new contracts bring life to the Nexus; when fighting world bosses, it can get overwhelming.
The “world bosses” in WildStar were crucial during the progression phase at the beginning, as defeating them was necessary to gain access to the raids. After that, the hype around them faded a bit. Now they are experiencing a resurgence. Because they can become the target of the new “Contracts.” A kind of changing “Instant Quest.”
As indicated by a conversation between two fans on reddit, this activity seems to be extremely popular. And when the world bosses are the target of a contract, there are such large player gatherings that the server may suffer, leading to significant lag.
For WildStar fans, this video is likely to evoke mixed feelings. On one hand, it’s great that so many WildStar players are together in one place. On the other hand: It’s really laggy.
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In the fantasy MMORPG The Elder Scrolls Online bargain hunters might face a nasty surprise. Tomorrow on Tuesday, May 26th, illegally obtained codes will be deactivated.
Would you buy a CD code from this Morag Tong?
“Greed is good and if you have to pay for an MMO, you want to pay as little as possible”, this is a common attitude among gamers today. One is almost gleeful, that instead of the nearly 40 or 60 euros that a game officially costs at Amazon or elsewhere, you pay only a fraction of that. Even if the sources from which you get the codes don’t always seem completely kosher: “Well, it’s not my problem, what could possibly happen?”
Tomorrow could be the day of reckoning for some bargain hunters: Accounts created with fraudulent codes in The Elder Scrolls Online will simply be deactivated. As Zenimax reports, there have been more and more illegally obtained codes redeemed recently. Starting from May 26th, these accounts will be banned, and players will receive a notification on how they can continue to play TESO with a valid game.
Zenimax states:
Certain companies profit from using stolen credit cards and fraudulently obtained credit card information to make digital purchases from legitimate merchants, then resell these stolen goods. These companies often offer their digital goods at minimal prices. Customers of these companies expose themselves to the increased risk of unintentionally sharing their personal data with third parties.
Extreme price differences compared to those on our official website may indicate that the offered digital code was obtained fraudulently.
It is recommended to make purchases either through their website or through a list of recommended dealers, which you can find in this source. And before you look for it: No, the known “game code only” sites with low prices are not on this list.
There remains the somewhat indiscreet question: Where did you actually get your codes from and do you trust your dealer?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In the MMO shooter Destiny, a video from the new Trials of Osiris showcases perhaps the most spectacular comeback of all time.
If Destiny were an action movie, the Guardians would each deliver one of those typical “action movie” one-liners with an insult at the end. Something like “Yippee-ki-yay, piggy-face” or “Surprise and then a certain bad word that’s not said.”
In the new Trials of Osiris , the fight is not over until it’s over. And it’s not when the “You have won” screen appears, but 3 seconds later. Because within that time window, some nasty things can still happen.
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What do we see in the video? Two Sunsinger Warlocks and a Titan practically give up, letting themselves be mowed down by the enemies who come closer to triumphing, seeing the “Won” screen, already feeling like they are on the sunny side, on Mercury, letting their guard down. The Warlocks then get back up thanks to their Super, revive the Titan, utilize the element of surprise, and win the match.
A classic case of “counting your chickens before they hatch,” “those who die early are not dead for long,” and “the Destiny match isn’t over until the fat lady sings and the Warlock has no Super left.”
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The Korean Wuxia MMO Blade & Soul is finally coming to the West after many years. In a live stream, there were details about the West release. We summarize it.
Blade and Soul will be released simultaneously in the West and the USA. Closed beta in autumn, launch in winter.
They are adopting a Free2Play model. Will provide more details in the coming months. NCSoft excludes Pay2Win and does not intend to establish “paywalls”. Players should not pay for content. This would drive the player base apart.
Too sexy for the West?
Blade & Soul will be tailored for the West, but sensitively
The Western Blade and Soul will be tailored for the West. This is nothing new; the same was done with the Japanese, Chinese, and Taiwanese Blade & Soul. These adaptations have shown great success. For instance, in China, up to 1.5 million players logged in simultaneously. Even in the billion-people country China, a significant success.
Currently, they are in the EN 1 phase of translation – everything has been translated 1:1 from Korean. “With Google Translate?” jokes one. “No, no, we already have authors,” they say. However, in this phase, cultural customs have not yet been considered. In the final launch, some Korean peculiarities, such as bouncing vampires, will be better explained in the translation. They don’t want to overdo it, will not have any “John Smiths” walking around, but they will make it easier for players to immerse themselves in the strongly Asian background.
The European servers will be based in Frankfurt am Main.
They want to leave nothing out of the original, rather add something new.
The Western Blade and Soul will not have a “Fatigue” system, as in other regions. This usually limits the number of activities possible in one go.
As a preliminary assessment, the ESRB gives it a “Mature” rating.
The game will not be censored. This was one of the most frequently asked questions. The game is meant to be enjoyed as it was intended. They do not want to interfere with the art style.
The race “Kun” will be renamed to “Yun” in English. It is too close linguistically to “Coon”, a highly offensive term with racist connotations.
Eastern narrative tradition reflected in storylines
Blade & Soul is an “over the top” Eastern Fantasy Martial Arts MMO, which they are aware of. They want to preserve that essence.
Differences in narrative tradition are significant. In Western fantasy, there is a clear depiction of good and evil. The good is chosen to defeat the evil and must save the world. In Wuxia narrative tradition, it is about avenging wrongs suffered. That is much more personal. The hero usually has something taken away from him and seeks revenge to repay it. It is somewhat reminiscent of Kill Bill or classic Kung Fu movies. A change in the MMORPG sector.
4 races and 6 classes: Assassin, Blademaster, Kung Fu Master, Destroyer, Summoner, Force Master. As is common in the West, not every race fits every class.
The character creation is also as one would expect. With choices, sliders, and a “Randomize” option that produces odd faces.
This is what happens when you hit randomize. Allegedly, the character creator also includes something like George Clooney.
The game will also be released in German
They will also translate Blade and Soul into German and French – and will also address cultural differences.
In the game, there will be a fully voice-over in cutscenes, a full dubbing of the cutscenes, to be heard in English, German, and French.
Some players would like to play it with Korean and Chinese voice packs. They plan to offer these as optional downloads. This is not yet certain.
The gameplay: walking on water and through the air
One of the strengths is the movement in the game – it should be typically “Eastern”. Players can glide through the air – almost like on a flying mount or as in ArcheAge with the glider – but entirely without aids, just thanks to their abilities. Players can also sprint on water.
There will be “Dragon Streams” found in the world, which are “Click A, arrive at B” travel routes that allow characters to jump and glide through the air in a martial arts fashion.
In combat, they are relying on a highly reactive system, within certain time windows, players must react.
There is no healer class; everyone has the responsibility to support others and take care of their own health. With an active combat style, they did not want a class that watches from the sidelines.
Those who die can attempt to crawl to safety and return to life through meditation. Defensive classes can assist with this.
Blade and Soul is expected to launch polished with many luxury features
Group search for instances runs via matchmaking (an LFG tool), taking all servers as a pool, so this should be relatively quick. These luxury options can be offered because the game is already mature and polished due to the long development time in Korea.
They want to start with a client that is up to date, but does not contain the entire story. In Korea, they have 6 “Acts” available, while in the West, they plan to start with 3 and deliver the rest later.
A lot of attention is being given to the possibility of continually upgrading one’s weapon. Players should be able to continue using a weapon from the beginning to the end if they wish and continuously upgrade it. The mechanics and prices for this will be adjusted based on player feedback. Weapons cannot break during the upgrade process.
Armor functions as a “Soul Shield”, the items are not visually represented on the avatar. That is handled by “costumes.” This also fits the Wuxia style, as one doesn’t necessarily show off their power outright.
For PvP, they have come up with something. They signal PvP activity by wearing a specific costume. This makes the opposing mobs clearly recognizable, resembling an army.
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Mein MMO states:The live stream was professional, entertaining, and amusing – featuring likable faces that appeared to be comfortable in front of the camera. Particularly amusing was how brand manager Juliane Harty embraced her Summoner role. Also, the “Hey, don’t diss me just because I’m British” moment is worth mentioning. The language was relatable to players with many film references and numerous MMORPG topics. One can clearly see the difference between NCSoft and a second-tier MMO publisher.
The English localization with the dubbing also seemed high quality, at least in the little that was shown. Given the negative reputation that Asia Free2Play games have here, it is certainly nice to see that a AAA publisher is stepping in and apparently giving the game high priority.
The impression was created: NCSoft West is aware of how unfortunate many things have gone in the past and that the game is arriving late, and they are trying to make up for it now.
Concerns plague the skeptical MMO fan until the exact details of the Free2Play model become clear. Here, the “weapon upgrade system” smells of a costly endeavor that flirts with player frustration and then invites them to the cash shop. But that is still speculation that arises from a “burned child dreads the fire” experience with previous Asia imports. Such “weapon upgrade” systems, as appealing as they may sound, are often a delicate matter.
League of Legends is known for causing some outbursts of anger. Often, this anger is unleashed in the chat, and other players are insulted and verbally abused. To encourage players who misbehave to change their behavior, Riot is now introducing a feedback system.
Behavior Confronted Head-On
The game developer assumes that players who are confronted with their bad behavior immediately after a game will change their attitude towards others. How will this work? In an initial test phase, European players will continue to report other players for negative behavior as usual. A few of these cases will be manually assessed, while others will be automatically evaluated. If successful, the feedback system will automatically identify abusive LoL players in the future and ban them for up to 2 weeks.
Your reports help the system understand the immediate feedback and punish the type of verbal harassment that the community actively rejects: homophobia, racism, sexism, death threats, and other forms of severe insults.
Rewards for Feedback
Players who consistently behave positively gain more trust from Riot. These players can also report teammates who are allegedly intentionally feeding the opposing team – a often subjective assessment. You can find all the changes in detail on the official League of Legends Blog .
Will Riot finally be able to gain control over the LoL community that is often labeled as “toxic” with this system?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Just a few days ago, a new video was released that introduces another hero from Blizzard’s team shooter Overwatch. This time, it focuses on the Japanese archer “Hanzo”, who not only provides his team with a tactical advantage but can also kill through walls.
Unlike most of his colleagues, Hanzo trusts not in modern guns, but is equipped with a traditional bow. Fired arrows have a curvy trajectory, so to hit a target far away, one must aim higher than usual.
With the push of a button, he can transform a regular arrow into a “Sonar Arrow“, which releases an energy wave, revealing enemies in the vicinity and making them visible through walls.
With his “Scatter Arrow“, he can neutralize multiple enemies at once, as it splits, ricochets off objects, and can injure several targets simultaneously.
His most impressive ability is, of course, the “Dragonstrike“: A massive dragon spirit is summoned, which slams through all obstacles in a straight line and devours the enemies it hits.
But enough of the written words, get a glimpse of Hanzo in action yourself.
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In the MMO shooter Destiny a new exotic helmet is making waves: Hunters are raving about Celestial Night Hawk, a true boss killer. Hunters become big game hunters with this.
On Friday, Xur had no new exotic items for sale, but he did have an exotic helmet engram. And the Guardians had collected and hoarded a lot of light particles in recent months to open engrams until the new exotics were released. Of the three new “House of Wolves” helmets available as rewards in the engram lottery, the Hunter version “Celestial Night Hawk” is getting the most attention.
Thanks to the perk “Big Game Hunter,” the Golden Gun, the super of the gunslinger, does six times the damage. As seen in this video.
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The shield goes down in one hit due to this massive damage. The Guardians rejoice: Who needs Gjallarhorn now? And they wonder what this thing can do to other bosses.
Poor Ir Yûts is almost killed with a single shot. No question, the helmet is causing a stir.
First combinations are opening up for Hunters in Destiny: Bad Karma or Titans
Hunters are already looking for ways to combine it. They’ve stumbled upon “Bad Karma” as a weapon that quickly replenishes the super. They already discovered Voidwalker back then, to benefit from Obsidian Mind, and Solar Singers also rely on them, to revive themselves particularly often.
Or they team up with Titans as sphere suppliers. It seems like Bungie has created a new problem with this weapon as well: now we need bosses that can stand up to this boss killer. Or put differently: new big game. By the way, there’s no need to worry for PvP, as the helmet is unsuitable for that.
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Celestial Night Hawk is just the first of a total of 9 new exotic armor pieces, where Guardians are discovering what possibilities they offer players. Surely clever players will also recognize enormous destructive potential in some other armor pieces.
With Celestial Night Hawk, it was probably just too big to overlook. The helmet is already considered by many to be the best exotic armor piece for Hunters.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Three weeks ago, we asked: Is 6.2 the last patch for Warlords of Draenor, is that it? Now Blizzard gives the answer: “No.” There is still a lot of story left to tell. This is revealed by lead designer Ion Hazzikostas in an interview with Polygon.
But work is already underway on the next expansion. A content gap like after “Mists of Pandaria” with 13 months should not occur again. They are striving for a good balance between the frequency of content patches and the next “big thing.”
In the SF-MMORPG Star Wars: The Old Republic, a serious warning from Bioware has deterred most of the win traders in Season 5. Some bans likely played a role as well.
“These are not the droids you are looking for” – since this scene, we know that a true Jedi does not always resolve everything with the lightsaber; sometimes the right words are enough, especially when you have the Force on your side – and when those words are accompanied by bans.
The power to warn and ban lies with Bioware. They had issues in PvP: “win traders” and “ranked trolls” were causing trouble. There were numerous reports and complaints. Win traders exploit matchmaking to play against each other; the results are prearranged. “Trolls” intentionally play poorly or seek to cause their team’s defeat because they enjoy getting on others’ nerves. The troll is strong in them.
At the beginning of last week, warnings and bans were sent out. Now they say: The problem is under control. 90% of the issues have been resolved with the win traders. 50% of the “trolls” have stopped their behavior (and sometimes completely with SWTOR).
Since we started communicating about win-trading and the actions we were going to take, nearly 90% of the previous reports and related win-trading activity have stopped.
In addition, the majority of “trolls,” have stopped their behavior and over 50% of those players have ceased completely.
In the MMO shooter Destiny , there are increasing allegations that something is not right in the new PvP event Trials of Osiris.
Since the event “Trials of Osiris” started on Friday night, there have been at least a few reports from angry players who feel they have been defeated by “cheaters”. Players report, on one hand, about a run where every match goes fine until they play against supposedly weaker opponents who intentionally cause an extremely high ping and thus gain advantages.
On the other hand, and much more negatively: There seems to be a trick through which players can ensure that the opponents lose the match before it actually starts by not showing up: For the others, this counts as both a win and a loss. This can thwart the chances of reaching the Lighthouse on Mercury. And especially such losses, for which one has no control, weigh heavily. Even worse, some report that they continue to experience severe issues in Destiny after the match.
Destiny is vulnerable to such “tricks” or “cheats”. Players have known this since the Crota “pull the LAN cable” affair. It has also become known that players in the Crucible have managed to endlessly acquire heavy ammunition through manipulation and were banned for it. So-called lag switches have also appeared in Destiny and produced unbelievable outcomes.
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It is difficult to find exact evidence for these allegations. It is unclear if these are isolated incidents, if it is just coincidence, or if it can be deliberately induced. As the tension in the Trials of Osiris is so high, a single win or loss can make the difference between “goal achieved” and “that didn’t work out”; the situation is tense at the moment.
Bungie warns cheaters
Individual “disconnects” are sometimes blamed on the opposing team, claiming they “booted” someone, as it is said. The Olive error is making headlines here.
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If you get disconnected from the game, it apparently also bypasses the buff from Brother Vance – still counts as a loss and prevents the visit to the Lighthouse. This is only possible with a flawless 9-0 run.
Interestingly, there is a tweet from Bungie. It came on Saturday, a typically quiet day. In the tweet, it says, “Be nice in the Crucible. We see everything…”
Play nice in the Crucible. We are always watching…
One can probably interpret this as confirmation that not everything is above board in the Trials of Osiris. However, not every loss or technical issue can immediately be attributed to cheaters in Destiny. We will keep you updated should any new information arise. The situation is unfortunately always unclear in such cases, and until there is a “more concrete” statement from Bungie, one must view it with caution – but likely also with some suspicion.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
By the end of June, they plan to switch to a new shop model. The new one should be “cleaner”, with many “one-click is enough” offers and more payment options.
By the end of September, Turbine will move to new data centers. The European servers will go to Amsterdam. Turbine promises “upgraded hardware.”
Probably the biggest cut for many players will come with this. They will reveal details later, but it looks like they will open “new, larger servers” that players can then transfer to. The old worlds will no longer be accessible after a grace period. The transfer works directly through the launcher, not through the website. Clans can be transferred, taking over the achievements of the old guilds. After the new worlds are there, they will continue to run the “old worlds” for another 3 months. After the 3 months, characters can still be transferred, but players can no longer continue playing on the “old world”.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Above and Beyond Technologies, the developers of the indie MMO “The Repopulation”, have outlined a release window that is not too far off. By the end of 2015, this sandbox MMO is set to launch. Additionally, a teaser provides a little taste of the factions and nations system.
The Repopulation is a crowdfunding project that has already raised more than 1.5 million dollars with the help of many supporters. The journey takes players into the future, into a science fiction universe full of freedoms.
As was once the case with Ultima Online or Star Wars Galaxies, there is a strong emphasis on social interactions, a wide range of individual development options, and player-generated content.
Based on classics, but offering something new
The creators are not only relying on “old-fashioned gameplay”, but are also striving for innovations. For example, it is possible to switch between different combat systems depending on your preference. In RPG mode, players hunt using the traditional MMORPG combat system. The action mode, on the other hand, is inspired by newer MMOs like TERA. Here, typical shooter elements such as aiming freely are introduced.
The game largely avoids linear areas, offering players a dynamic world filled with larger, public quests that fit their chosen play style. Whether as a thief, diplomat, builder, animal tamer, craftsman, or entertainer – many professions and paths are available.
Colonial powers creating a new civilization
As is common in sandbox games, there are conflicts over territories. The original goal was to collaboratively colonize a fertile planet and build a new home. However, as history has often taught us, not all settlers involved could agree. Thus, as it had to happen: two factions emerged with differing geopolitical interests. And, of course, they want to enforce them by any means necessary.
To ensure that it doesn’t go unnoticed: PvE fans will also be catered to. PvP is not mandatory, especially since not only humans pose a threat, but also other species that do not want to give up their place in the world without a fight. Additionally, the land still needs merchants or craftsmen who engage in tasks other than fighting.
The latest alpha teaser shows glimpses of the factions system, where it is also possible to build nations that control land – with player-created bases. In general, there is a greater focus on freely building cities or houses – in the open world, mind you – with a multitude of customization options.
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The science fiction MMORPG – the new savior for sandbox fans?
At least on paper, the features sound like paradise for sandbox enthusiasts looking for a fresh, mature setting. For us, it is among the most promising indie MMOs set to be released in the foreseeable future. The components of the game listed here represent only a small part of what is planned for the release. Notably, several mount types, an elaborate pet, crafting, or skill system, with which the character can be extensively customized, are mentioned. The previous trailer gives us even more insights into the gameplay systems of The Repopulation:
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Those who want to check out an early version of the game and support the project can do so through Steam. But beware: one shouldn’t expect too much just yet.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Two Diablo 3 item hackers had a stroke of bad luck. Although they earned not a dime, they were pursued by the FBI, owe Blizzard a pretty penny, and are considered convicted.
In 2012, the world was also not in order. Blizzard came up with the idea to introduce a real-money auction house in their hack and slash epic “Diablo 3”. This led two hackers, Patrick Nepomuceno and Michael Stinger, to have some foolish thoughts, as reported by the US site Fusion.
According to Stinger’s account, Nepomuceno used a remote access tool with which they could access the computers of people who followed a link that supposedly contained a picture of a “rare item”. In reality, however, this link brought the victims’ computers under Nepomuceno’s control. He logged in the Diablo 3 heroes and took them out.
Real-money auction house
Stinger claims he wasn’t in it for the money. He didn’t even know what was happening exactly. He merely spread the link and enjoyed “free items” in Diablo 3. Nepomuceno remains silent about the accusations against Fusion.
A crime without victims?
They pulled off the stunt on nearly 30 people, it lasted for three months, they seized items worth $9,000, and put them up in the auction house. But Blizzard was quick: The two were banned, and Blizzard returned the stolen items to their owners. So, no one really got harmed, you could say. A crime without victims. All good, right? Well …
On a fine December morning at 6:00 AM, FBI agents came to Stinger with drawn weapons and charged him with a felony. Although no measurable damage had actually occurred to anyone, gaining access to other people’s computers through a tool is no minor offense.
Ashbringer: Would definitely be worth a pretty penny today: But the auction house is history.
“It’s just a computer game”
Although the two didn’t make any money from the action – Blizzard banned their accounts before they could sell their loot – the justice system assumed a value of “$8,000” and that catapulted the action into the category of serious crime. The trial, at which the two pleaded guilty, resulted in prison sentences of 2 and 3 years on probation. Additionally, they must pay $5,654.61 to Blizzard for investigative costs.
And perhaps the harshest consequence: They are now considered convicted. While Nepomuceno remains silent, 21-year-old Stinger complains that he is in college and that the black mark on his past will come up in job interviews: “They check my background, and it says that I gained unauthorized access to computers.” That will make it difficult to find a job: “I just wanted virtual items. It was just a computer game.”
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In the MMO shooter Destiny the record chase has begun. The first solo kills from the Prison of Elders have been reported. A huntress has defeated the 34-level boss Urrox alone.
Favorite quote of Destiny PvE players: Let’s see if I can do this solo!In the last content, Crota was defeated in every conceivable way. With the new content, it starts again similarly.
A huntress has taken on the 34-level boss “Prison of Elders” Urrox this week and already tackled it alone at level 33. It takes good nerves, a strong strategy, and everything must come together to take down Urrox solo. Normally, he is intended for three grown guardians.
The experts in Destiny are looking at this, nodding confidently, and saying: “I already know what I’ll do next.” The layperson is amazed and wonders.
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The new champ in League of Legends Ekko can play with time. A sand skin is fitting. It reminds of the “Prince of Persia.”
Anyone wondering: Hmm, skinny guy, one-handed sword, quick, can manipulate time… who does that remind me of? For that, Riot Games is now hinting: The Prince of Persia. The new skin for Ekko may not officially have that name, but one can assume that Riot had it in mind.
“Sandstorm” is the name of the new skin, it will cost 975 Riot Points. By the way, Ekko is quite popular at Riot as a mid-laner, but can also shine in the jungle or on the top lane.
Three more new skins can also be looked forward to by LoL players… or not – depending on taste. Here are Nightmare Tryndamere, Knockout Lee Sin and Order of the Lotus Irelia. They landed with Sandstorm Ekko this week on the public test server.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In World of Warcraft (WoW) with Patch 6.2, flying will not return. Not in all of Draenor anymore. This also applies to future expansions.
“Flying” is a sensitive topic in WoW. Players have collected a lot of flying mounts over the years. For crafters, collectors, and twinkers, flying was ideal for quickly getting from point A to point B. For years, autonomous flying was one of the unique features of World of Warcraft.
In an interview with Polygon, WoW’s lead designer, Ion Hazzikostas, talks about the topic of “flying.” They initially removed it as an experiment to see what would happen. If you had asked him back then, according to the lead designer, he would have bet that it would come back later.
Now they have seen what the flying ban does to World of Warcraft, and they like it. With flying, the world felt “much smaller” and less adventurous. Players would just fly over difficult spots.
Hazzikostas goes back deep into WoW’s history, before The Burning Crusade, when the first expansion introduced flying mounts: Before, without flying, players had to sneak into enemy camps, rescue prisoners, and fight their way out. With flying, players could land precisely at the prisoner, free him, and simply fly back out.
At Blizzard, they think: Only without flying is there room for secrets, exploration, and adventure.
At Blizzard, they never say never, but: At the moment, they think that World of Warcraft is better off overall without flying. It will not be reintroduced for Draenor. That is the direction they are currently heading for the future.
There’s more room for exploration, for secrets, for discovery and overall immersion in the world. At this point, we feel that outdoor gameplay in World of Warcraft is ultimately better without flying. We’re not going to be reintroducing the ability to fly in Draenor, and that’s kind of where we’re at going forward.
This also applies to future expansions, according to Hazzikostas. Maybe there will be exceptions in certain zones if it fits with the ideas. Additionally, they want to continue working on fixed flight paths, the “flight taxis.”
But it is clear: The WoW developers are not fans of players flying over their current and future work.
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For the seventh birthday of the Free2Play MMO Age of Conan, there is a gift for the players: Two new zones. However, there comes a price tag with it. The festive mood is spoiled.
It’s one of those somewhat unfortunate marketing ideas. One thinks: We are planning new game content anyway and it’s soon birthday time, let’s bring that together. And since it fits so nicely, one forgets that players expect gifts or a celebration for the birthday of an MMO and that free of charge.
They announced an “extended, permanent” version of the birthday event. There should be rewards, a riding bear, a new 1-3 player dungeon with multiple instances. The two “new” zones: The blue mountains and “the snowy tundra of Vanaheim.”
Sounded good, until players realized: It’s not available for free, it’s behind a paywall. There is the normal version and also a Collector’s Edition in the cash shop.
The reaction in the forum is quite nasty. Some of the “freemium” players complain: We have paid for the last 6 months. For what actually? Another player says: “It’s like coming home and saying to your wife: Happy Birthday, dear! Give me $20, and I’ll take you out to dinner!”
Well. Birthday party a bit ruined.
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