The fantasy MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV gets four new hairstyles with the expansion: two for males, two for females.
Admittedly, most of the exciting stuff about the Final Fantasy expansion Heavensward has been known for a long time. The new classes have been introduced, the new race, even the successful new crafting and job outfits we have already seen. And there was also a powerful cinematic already. So there’s not much left to show before Heavensward launches on June 23, this time there are 4 new hairstyles to keep players occupied during the wait.
By the way, as has become apparent in the last few days, we will be bringing a few more special features about FF 14 to our site before the release of Heavensward. So stay tuned.
But now, first things first about the hairstyles: For the women in Square Enix’s creation, it’s sweet with ponytails and braided pigtails, while for the men it’s Asian and refined.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Does one always have to smash everything in an MMORPG? Wander from the eponymous developer wants to show that there is another way and focuses on relaxed exploration tours in fantastic graphics.
Wander begins mysteriously, as you awaken in a forest, not knowing what is going on. You are also bodiless and initially take the form of a tree. Of course, it would be rather boring to just stand still without being able to move. Therefore, the tree is able to walk. In the form of this so-called “Oren”, you begin to explore the landscape.
Shape-shifter
Along the way, you meet other players and can interact with them. The type of interaction depends on the form each player has taken. This also means that there are several shapes, including those of a griffin, a fish, and a fast-running lizard. Each form has different abilities. The griffin can fly, the fish can swim and dive. In this way, new areas of the vast game world gradually open up to you. As a fish, you explore underwater areas; as a griffin, you soar above forests and mountains, reaching otherwise inaccessible places.
During your travels, you will uncover old legends that reveal more about the game world and the different forms you can take. In this way, a comprehensive background story gradually unfolds. The world is also full of secrets waiting to be unraveled. Among them are the mysterious siren songs that echo in your ears. You use the various abilities of the forms you can take, as well as teamwork. There is neither PvP nor PvE in the game. Wander focuses on peaceful interaction, which may sound strange at first, but emphasizes the game concept. Fighting would make no sense in this MMO.
Simply Beautiful
Wander uses the CryEngine, which has been utilized in well-known games like the Crysis series or Ryse – Son of Rome. This speaks for a breathtaking visual experience. Exactly this is a major attraction of the game. Exploring the world from the perspective of different creatures, discovering ancient ruins, diving into the depths of the sea, or gliding over majestic forests creates a unique atmosphere.
You will visit places that simply invite you to linger and dream. Therefore, Wander places great importance on exploring the game world, where there is always much to discover. Weather also plays an important role. Sudden thunderstorms, for example, create not only a special atmosphere; a griffin should not fly in strong winds and rain.
Wander is set to be released for Playstation 4 either at the end of April or early May and will run at a resolution of 1080p at 30 fps. According to Steam, it will also be released for PC in April.
Andreas says: I am a bit skeptical. An MMORPG without fights? Can that be exciting? No question, Wander looks fantastic, and exploring the beautifully crafted game world in the form of different creatures with various abilities sounds relaxing to me. But I still can’t quite grasp the sense of it.
However, that doesn’t stop me from wanting to at least take a look at Wander. Because perhaps there is a gem in the game that is not immediately apparent. And a bit of relaxation alongside all the fighting against orcs or dragons is also good.
I am therefore curious about what the MMORPG has to offer, how the interaction with other players works, what forms there are, what these allow me in the game, and what secrets await to be uncovered. I hope for a positive surprise.
http://youtu.be/g0NZY2kPcpw
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In World of Warcraft, the next patch 6.2 brings back the world boss Kazzak – for a second time.
You can already imagine what will happen in the jungle of Tanaan when you do the Hellfire Citadel as a raid and unleash demonic celebrities like Archimonde and Mannoroth: the Burning Legion is on the move. With patch 6.2. a new world boss will also come to the jungle, and it is an old acquaintance: “Kazzak.”
He was already there in Vanilla WoW, infamous for being kited to Stormwind, where he devastated everything. Then he was drawn to the Hellfire Peninsula with BC. Peculiar: each time he was promoted, at first he was just Lord Kazzak, then Doom Lord, and now he is Supreme Lord. “Hellfire Peninsula was just a minor setback.”
These are Kazzak’s abilities as a world boss in World of Warcraft 6.2.
According to Chinese sources, Kazzak is said to have the following abilities (and if you can’t trust Chinese sources, who can you trust?):
A cone-shaped fire breath that leaves a debuff causing the next fire breath to hurt even more
He debuffs players, causing them to produce significantly increased damage and healing, but each time they do, they also damage nearby teammates
He reduces a player’s HP to 1 and gives them a debuff that only goes away when the player is healed to 50% of their health points; otherwise, they turn into a bomb.
At 33% and 66% HP, he summons “Twisted Reflections” that crawl towards him and heal him for 2% of his HP when they reach him.
There are already some videos of the boss fight, although it is not yet completely finished.
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The support for the “Steam Marketplace” has been postponed to next week. The feature was originally intended for this week. However, the developers could not finish it in time. This feature will allow players to trade items in their account inventory with others.
[H1Z1 Update] Our patch needs a little more time to brew. It will be releasing on Friday, not tomorrow morning. The Virus is worth the wait!
In the MMO shooter Destiny, the new DLC “House of Wolves” is upcoming. Today, Wednesday evening, April 22nd, developer Bungie wants to reveal the first details about the new social space, the Reef. And they want to tell the Guardians exactly how the upgrades work.
The stream is set to start at 20:00, we will link it here in this article on mein-mmo.de and then provide live updates in German about what is happening. We would love to hear your opinion in the comments.
Officially, it should be about the new “social space” in House of Wolves, the Reef. And they want to reveal how exactly the upgrades will work this time.
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19:00: As expected, a bunch of people are already here, looking forward to the stream starting. But it’s still an hour away. Apparently, there are global issues with calculating the correct time. It starts at 20:00.
19:15: For those who need a refresh: here is the trailer for the stream, which is supposed to start at 20:00. Yes, Destiny is now making announcements for the days on which part of the new content is announced. That point has now also been crossed.
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19:30: For those who missed it, two things are supposed to be covered today. First, the “social space”, the Reef. In the last DLC, they simply placed Miss Morn in the Tower of Destiny, and that was it. Now they are apparently heading to a completely new area where the Queen resides.
And secondly, which is probably more important for actual gameplay: They want to reveal details on how upgrading will work this time. Apparently, one will be able to bring Raid armor and Raid weapons up to the new maximum values. That did not happen last time. However, there is still very little information available. For example, nothing is known about exotic items yet.
19:35: Bungie is also getting ready. They posted this at 19:00.
19:45: For us, the most important topic: How will upgrading work? Bungie has to find a balance between “it’s too easy and players are done in a few days” and “it’s too tedious and feels unpleasant.” Clearly, players desire as much variety as possible at the top level. But the question is whether there should be weapons that stand out from the crowd? The exotics that came with “The Dark Below” did not have the shine of first-generation items. However, there are now indeed many of them. If one could slightly elevate the “old” exotics and raid items to the new level, it might negatively affect motivation.
This could become one of the most important questions for the future of the game: Do they want players to run around with the currently best weapons for two years and just upgrade them from DLC to DLC? Or do they make something new with a “harder” item reset?
19:55: So, now everyone goes to the restroom one last time and then it begins.
19:57: 35,000 people are currently watching Destiny. At least half of them worship Datto cultishly. Have you heard the latest? He and his fireteam supposedly defeated Crota while wearing blindfolds! I mean, while they were wearing blindfolds, not hitting him with a piece of cloth.
20:00: Okay, it has reached 60,000 viewers. And on the West Coast of the USA, it is currently 11:00 AM. So much for “Does anyone still play Destiny?”
The old event items from The Taken King are now available from Petra Venj, the new Eris Morn
20:02: They start with the teaser, nothing wild. In the middle is Community Manager DeeJ, on the left the Creative Director, on the right a streamer. (So everything the guy on the left says is extremely important.)
20:05: 90,000 people are watching. Background story: The Fallen are under the control of the Queen. The House of Wolves is rebelling against her. The Queen is now calling on the Guardians to help her. Oh, the first new vendor. There will be a new reputation system like with Eris Morn. Petra Venj will be this reputation vendor, with loot quests and rewards.
20:10: The new vendor has the shaders from the old “Taken King” event and also the Awoken ship from back then. So it doesn’t look like the old PvE event will come back. The streamer is asking the tough questions about “too little story, will you do more this time?” – This seems to make Bungie somewhat uncomfortable. However, they promise they have made an effort to tell a coherent and interesting story.
In the “Prison of Elders,” there will be a complete new set and weapons that are at the new maximum values.
20:12: There will be at least one more reputation faction: House of Judgement. It seems to be associated with the Prison of Elders. There will also be new ships, class items, and shaders available here. The new arena “Prison of Elders” will likely have new “cores” for weapons and armor as a reward. You need these to purchase new items here. These are available from the vendor Variks, whose inventory will change weekly. The arena will be subject to a weekly lockout – like with Raids or Nightfalls.
The new maximum light level is indeed 42 (for armor), allowing Guardians to reach light level 34.
20:15: They want to rely less on randomness in the new arena (which they actually didn’t want to talk about at all) and introduce more “purchaseable items” for Guardians to work toward. DeeJ doesn’t seem pleased that the streamer Goliathon is already extracting so much information about the Prison of Elders from the Creative Director. Good job!
Trials of Osiris will be a PvP event for the weekend
20:17: There are now first details about Trials of Osiris. It is supposed to be a competitive multiplayer event for the weekend. Und with similar opening hours as Xur – perhaps a bit longer. So it won’t come once a month like Iron Banner, but rather be a weekend event. New information about Iron Banner is supposed to be provided next Thursday in the Weekly Update.
20:18: Unlike the sterile, clean, and civilized Tower, the Reef is supposed to look a bit run-down and inhabited: a dangerous place with pirates and scum. This should also be reflected in the music and lighting.
20:20: In the Reef, there will be the same “base” NPCs as in the Tower: Vault, Bounty Tracker, Postmaster, and the new hate figure Master Ives replacing Rahool.
20:22: The streamer asks good questions. Will the new arena replace the raid? The arena will be different, it will change and be a bit different every week. It is supposed to be another endgame activity alongside raids, Nightfalls, and weeklies. To enter the arena, players must first complete the new story.
20:23: DeeJ says nothing about Xur and seems to have some fun doing it in as many words as possible while speaking like a mysterious PR man. He has a bit of a marketing shaman vibe.
20:25: It seems to be about the upgrades now, this will be exciting. DeeJ is currently getting himself out of the “Vex Mythoclast will never be upgradeable” situation.
The Speaker will be able to exchange materials
20:28: We’re back in the Tower. The Speaker will be useful and can transform a lot of old stuff into other stuff. Shards into energy and vice versa. Ascendant shards into energy and vice versa.
20:30: The faction armors start with light level 36 (which can bring Guardians up to level 32). The three factions have new weapons and armors. The weapons start with 331 damage.
20:33: Lord Shaxx also has new Crucible armors. And there are new weapons. A lot of red this time.
20:35: To upgrade old items, one needs “Etheric Light”, a new item. This can be obtained from the Trials of Osiris and from the Prison of Elders. These items should also drop “rarely” in Nightfall or Iron Banner.
20:36: When the old items are upgraded, they retain their “old” upgrades: They will not be stripped. The Vex Mythoclast can now also be upgraded to 365.
All legendary and exotic weapons and armor can be upgraded to the new maximum values
20:37: DeeJ just laughed in the face of a reddit dataminer who recently circulated a terrible rumor that Gjallarhorn would become “irrelevant” with the DLC and debunked him: The exotic weapons can be upgraded to 365. This applies to all legendary weapons and armor (not just raid items, as previously thought). You don’t need Xur or anything, just this new item “Etheric Light.” Also, the old materials for upgrades are required.
20:39: Oh, wow. There are actually weapons that can be reforged by the “Gunsmith.” This used to only apply to Iron Banner weapons. A lot of people have been waiting for this. This applies to weapons with a very specific trait, which you can see in the screens below, it’s the symbol with the crossed hammers.
20:42: There is now a massive selection of armors and weapons that players can wear at the new maximum level. They want to keep as much “relevant” as possible. This is significantly more generous than expected.
20:44: DeeJ is not bitter about not having a Gjallarhorn. Really not … he prefers the Thunderlord anyway. The Creative Director is currently giving player trading a pretty clear rejection: It would take too much away from the game. We more or less said this in that rumor article as well.
20:48: Wow, really good, compact stream. Full of information. Those who usually know how these things go might be positively surprised. Typically, it goes about 30 minutes with nothing happening, and then they throw all the information into the last 5 minutes. This was distinctly different. There was enough material to analyze in the coming days. In the end, 130,000 people watched and had an entertaining 50 minutes. Thanks to the format, with a streamer from the community involved, DeeJ couldn’t steer the conversation as much, and a lot of interesting information came out.
20:52: We are now polishing up the ticker a bit. We took some screenshots that we will also include. Tomorrow we will summarize the essential points in articles: for those who find this too confusing. It’s nice that you were here. We from mein MMO wish you a pleasant evening.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The consoles XBox One and Playstation 4 will soon receive one of the first “real” MMORPGs for their platform with The Elder Scrolls Online. Now the beta is set to begin.
In the last article about TESO, we hinted that it should be soon. And behold: it is time. The beta of The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited is starting on Playstation 4 and Xbox One. However, it is less of a test beta, like one used to know, and more of one of those promo events for the game: the trend in recent years has gone in this direction and is strongly utilized by MMORPGs.
The beta starts tomorrow, on Wednesday, April 23rd at 4:00 PM. And it ends on April 27th at 4:00 PM.
It will be a Closed Beta, some players who registered will receive invitations. Officially, it is a: Public beta with limited participants, for which an invitation is needed.
Those who receive an invitation should start downloading soon, as it is quite large.
Players will not have to fear a confidentiality clause and the full TESO will be available. Players are encouraged to stream.
The beta characters will not carry over to the live game later.
The extent of TESO is said to be huge, they say. The game already has 50 gigabytes, on the day of release an additional 15 GB is expected.
The Elder Scrolls Online is likely to be one of the interesting new releases on XBox One and Playstation 4 this summer. Both consoles have few MMORPGs of this caliber in their portfolio except for Final Fantasy XIV for Playstation and the action-MMO Neverwinter on Xbox. TESO could do well here and form a valued option. Especially on the Xbox One, Zenimax may expect chances, as the last single-player title of the series, Skyrim, was primarily an Xbox hit.
The Elder Scrolls Online will be released on June 9th for Playstation 4 and Xbox One.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In the MMO shooter Destiny, players recently downloaded 6 gigabytes with patch 1.1.2. As suspected, it already includes a lot for the upcoming DLC “House of Wolves.”
About a week ago, patch 1.1.2, which weighed between 4 and 6 gigabytes depending on the system, came out. However, it brought very little “truly new”, at least nothing that would require such a large amount of data. Dataminers from destinytracker immediately examined the patch and looked at what content it hides. As assumed, much of what was downloaded here is intended for the next DLC “House of Wolves.”
In the data, there are numerous pieces of information that can hardly be used before they are unlocked. But some visible changes have already been made in the Terminus area on Venus. The area is technically still closed, but some have already gained access and found that the area after the patch 1.1.2 in Destiny looks completely different than before.
http://youtu.be/Moa3Drfgkpc
At the moment, the findings of the dataminers are still unconfirmed informations and should be treated as such – with caution. The official revelations are supposed to come every Wednesday.
Spoiler alert for the impatient, here is what the dataminers say about House of Wolves
According to the dataminers, they found:
Two new “Social Spaces”, where players interact with vendors or quest givers instead of fighting. One is the already known “Reef”, which is named “Queen’s Bay.” The Trials of Osiris event is also expected to get its own lobby
A new strike “Shadow Thief”, where Guardians are tracking a Fallen mercenary and have to board his ship. The strike is supposed to be added to the rotation for the weekly Nightfall strike just like “Will of Crota”
Three new story missions. In these, Guardians are likely on a mission from the queen to hunt down Skolas, the leader of the renegade House of Wolves
Three quests: These will also revolve around the House of Wolves, Guardians will have to deal with lackeys and minions
The arena “Prison of Elders”: Here, players are expected to face the “deadliest enemies in the universe” (this is believed to be the PvE horde mode that is supposed to replace the raid)
Trials of Osiris – Here, Guardians can earn valuable treasures in Destiny, but if they lose too often, they are eliminated (this is thought to be a PvP event)
Four new Crucible maps have been found on Mars, Venus, Earth, and the Moon Phobos
Additionally, there are:
46 new ships, including one exotic; it may be possible that the ships still need to be crafted and only the blueprint can be found
For those who are now upset: What? There’s nothing about weapons? They have been in the database for a long time. Officially, however, there is nothing here. Bungie employees have already said that these are placeholders. It is possible that the current weapons will only be delivered with the DLC.
Concrete information will be available this evening
This is all still very uncertain, as is often the case with dataminers. For those who want concrete information, should check back here tonight at 8:00 PM. We will report live from the developers’ stream and link it as well.
Tonight, they want to introduce the new social space “Reef”. And we will learn how Bungie envisions upgrading weapons and armors.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The long-lasting Free2Play MMO Lord of the Rings Online will soon receive Update 16. In a video, the developers provide a glimpse.
Updates for Lord of the Rings come relatively rarely, but when they do, they are significant. Update 16 will advance the War of the Ring. Three new zones in the east of Gondor will be explored, experiencing the aftermath of the Battle of Pelargir (Update 15) where Aragorn defeated the Corsairs with the Army of the Oathbreakers. In the new zones, players will encounter refugees from Minas Tirith and hear their stories of escape, or they will be on the lookout for Faramir.
The three instances (2 for 3-players, 1 for 6-players) will take place in Osgiliath, the former capital of Gondor. In Update 16, the ruins of the city will have been overrun by Orcs.
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Additionally, the video offers a small preview of the overhaul of the legendary weapons. They will no longer need to be dismantled and reconstructed repeatedly in a stop-and-go manner. In the future, they will grow with the player.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In the SF-MMO Star Trek Online, the tenth season has begun. Its focus will be on the war against the Iconians.
For 5 years, the developers of STO have been working towards this moment, proudly announcing: The war against the Iconians is here. There are three new “activities” that players can sign up for via the instance finder. In STO, these activities are officially and somewhat awkwardly called “waiting lists” in German. That’s where the real excitement comes in.
In these 3 activities, players are sent into battle against the Heralds of the Iconians:
In the Portal to Gre’thor, players fight them in space
In Brotherhood of the Sword, players battle the Heralds on a planet
and in the 3rd new activity The Herald Sphere, captains must prevent future invasions from opening doors and dimensional gates
Two episodes are being added, continuing the story arc of STO. Cryptic has secured the original voice actor of Tom Paris at least in English. And all of this is only the beginning, as they announce.
To properly celebrate the “sector redesign,” which they are very proud of, players who log in now will receive some goodies. Among them is the emote “Shaka, when the walls fell.”
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In the second part of our introduction to the online game Shroud of the Avatar, we discuss the combat system and PvP.
In the world of New Britannia, dark creatures also roam. A plague of undead threatens the population, but other monsters, bandits, and dark wizards also traverse the land. In short: There is plenty to fight in Shroud of the Avatar.
[intense_blockquote color=”#ffffff” border_color=”#fa2f2f” width=”40%” rightalign=”1″]Part 1 of the SotA series, which discusses the game modes and general development, haven’t read yet? Here you go.[/intense_blockquote]
The developer studio Portalarium has decided to give the well-known hotbar combat system from many other MMORPGs a new twist. Designer legend Richard “Lord British” Garriott took inspiration from the currently popular (online) card games like Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft or Magic: The Gathering. You start – at least in the current pre-alpha – with some skill points that you allocate to your initial abilities.
This way, you decide whether you want to learn various melee abilities or spells. From these learned skills, you create a kind of card deck called glyphs in SotA. You decide for yourself which skills are included in the deck. By placing a skill multiple times in the deck, the chance that this glyph is “drawn” increases.
The Element of Chance in Combat
When combat begins, the skills from the previously assembled card deck appear randomly in the hotbar. If you then select an ability, it is used. However, you must react relatively quickly, as the glyphs also disappear and are replaced by others. This brings the element of chance to the forefront in battles.
There are now abilities you can learn that allow certain skills to be firmly anchored in the hotbar, ensuring they are always available. This is useful for healing potions, as they also fall under the glyph system and appear randomly. The number of skills in the hotbar and the duration for which a glyph remains can also be set. Alternatively, it is possible to use a completely fixed hotbar system that operates similarly to other MMORPGs.
Each use of a glyph costs focus points, so you always have to consider whether the use is worthwhile. Additionally, the hero attacks automatically with a standard attack. However, the focus costs are higher in a fixed hotbar system.
PvP – The Eternal Topic of Discussion
Of course, combat also includes PvP. This causes some controversies within the community. Many who see Shroud of the Avatar as a kind of Ultima Online 2 believe that only open PvP with full loot is acceptable.
However, SotA places great importance on storytelling and completing quests. Therefore, it would be frustrating if you wish to complete quests but are constantly attacked by other players. Additionally, Ultima Online has already shown that there will always be players who take pleasure in repeatedly attacking especially newcomers. Portalarium does not want their game to induce frustration and has therefore opted for a different type of PvP.
Some zones offer particularly valuable and rare resources. When you enter these instances in online mode, you are automatically enabled for PvP and can be attacked by all other players within this zone. So, if you want rare resources for crafting, you must participate in PvP. This is accompanied by quests such as smuggling forbidden goods, which makes you vulnerable to attacks from other players. It is still possible to ask the Oracle to lift your protection. This makes you attackable anywhere and anytime.
Full loot will currently only be available in selected areas. However, if you defeat a player in PvP in other zones, the winner retains one of their items, which can be bought back. However, there could still be additional elements introduced, and it is not far-fetched to hope that a type of full-loot flag will be implemented, allowing players to “release” their heroes for full loot in all battles.
Andreas says: Shroud of the Avatar tries to do a lot at once. It aims to appeal to fans of Ultima Online while also being a single-player RPG. It seeks to offer as many freedoms in a sandbox as possible while also telling an epic story with many quests, during which decisions are made that impact the game world.
That it can’t please everyone is clear. Especially the PvP faction is somewhat disappointed, as they expected something different from a quasi-Ultima-Online successor. However, Portalarium is trying to walk a tightrope as it wants to create a game that appeals to as many players as possible. Whether this balancing act will succeed remains to be seen. The game is still in too early a stage. However, what we see so far in pre-alpha gives hope that Shroud of the Avatar will offer us an extraordinary RPG that can indeed combine single player and MMORPG elements.
In the MMO shooter Destiny, the mysterious merchant Xur appears on Fridays. In the past, players were able to accurately predict his inventory. Is there such a prediction for Friday, April 24th?
Actually, the predictions for Xur had already belonged to the past for quite some time. In the previous months, there were accurate reports from data miners about his inventory, even the stats of the armors were already known beforehand. However, since some changes from Bungie, predicting had actually become impossible. This was also stated several times by the data miners.
However, in the past two weeks, there have been rumors about the weapons that Xur would sell. Both times these turned out to be correct. Xur first sold the auto rifle SUROS Regime and later, in the last week, the hand cannon “The Last Word.”
So is there a prediction for this week again?
No, we have to disappoint you there. There is no prediction about what Xur will bring on April 24th. The two weapons that were still in circulation were already with him. Other weapons he is expected to bring are even more uncertain than in the previous weeks, and we do not want to bother you with that. Friday, April 24th, will be really exciting for all involved. Some have been looking forward to it. We will, of course, report on his inventory on Friday.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
It is time to give my previous grumpy titles like Evolve, Smite, Heroes of the Storm, and WoW a short break and focus on a topic that I have completely overlooked until now: Star Wars. Don’t worry, it’s not about Battlefront. The game doesn’t even have a single-player campaign and is just a Battlefield with blasters and stormtroopers for me, but that’s not the point today…
An Expanded Universe – Lore to the Max
The Star Wars universe is gigantic. I don’t just mean the distances between the individual planets, but especially the wealth of background stories that have accumulated over nearly 40 years. This so-called “Expanded Universe” includes, for example, almost all the books published to date, the legendary tabletop RPG classics like “Knights of the Old Republic”, but also newer works like “SWTOR” or the “The Clone Wars” series.
Exactly, it doesn’t feel good when you’re told: You actually don’t exist for us!
All these productions have expanded the universe of the Jedi and Sith as we know it from the films, making it much more vibrant and tangible. A big part of the fascination for me comes from the extensive, internally logical world that spans several millennia of history. We know what the different skin colors of the Twi’lek mean, and if we wanted to, we could even speak Mandalorian (and I know people who can do that – trust me, those are exhausting evenings).
… and then came Mickey Mouse.
About 2.5 years ago, Disney bought all rights to Star Wars. You can think what you want about that (I personally don’t like Disney as a corporation and often joke about their merchandising saying “Disney – from children for children”). About a year ago, they quickly dealt with the “Expanded Universe”: Everything except the 6 previous episodes is no longer part of the canon, meaning it is no longer part of the officially recognized background story.
Photo by Todd Anderson/Disney via Getty Images
Some will probably shrug their shoulders and think that this doesn’t really matter. For me, as someone who connects a lot with Star Wars, whether it’s role-playing in SWTOR or a sleepless night under the reading lamp with the “Book of the Sith”, this is a slap in the face. With a single statement, over 99% of the Star Wars universe has been brushed aside as “non-existent”. I have spent many weeks in a galaxy far, far away and feel it is a devaluation of a beautiful time.
Sure, no one can take my memories of all the great things from me. But simply rejecting everything that exists so that Disney can basically rebuild the universe from scratch without “burdens” is, after all, the most inelegant way to deal with one of the largest and most loyal fan communities.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In the zombie MMO H1Z1 two important new features are set to be added in the coming weeks: female characters and grenades.
H1Z1 is currently in an exciting phase as the developers are gradually implementing their announced plans. And there is certainly no shortage of ideas and features that have been promised. Last week saw the introduction of bees, before that handcuffs and makeshift armor crafted from duct tape.
Next up, as studio head John Smedley tweets, are “grenades” on the menu. They are set to be introduced into the game this week, likely on Thursday. Last week, the first throwable weapons were introduced with Molotov cocktails.
And the weapons master responsible for such things, Jimmy Whisenhunt, delivers the appropriate video:
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In the coming weeks, Smedley tweets, they plan to introduce “female models”; right now everyone looks the same. They hope to have it ready by the end of next week, which would likely be April 30.
hoping to get the female model into H1Z1 in the next 2 weeks. trying for late next week.
According to the H1Z1 roadmap, the virus that gives the game its name is also set to find its way into the game on April 23, surely another important addition for the game. Infected players are expected to develop a sort of zombie sense, take on certain powers, until they ultimately succumb to the virus and resurrect as a zombie. The zombie can then no longer be controlled by the player. At least that was already indicated in earlier announcements by the developers from September 2014.
By the way, a “Quality of Life” patch is planned for May 7. No new features are set to come, as they want to focus on improving the existing elements. Recently, Thursday at 12:00 PM our time was “patch day”, so one can expect the same on April 23.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The sandbox MMO Landmark is slowly taking shape. In the next major patch, there will be a character wipe, and new achievements will form the red thread.
Landmark, the “little older sister” MMO to the highly anticipated Everquest Next, is slowly taking shape. A big patch is expected at the end of the month. This will “wipe” the characters created so far and usher in a new era in Landmark: the era of achievements.
These will serve as a sort of red thread: guiding and inspiring players on what they could do to progress. This is linked to the “progression,” the advancement of the players. This opportunity is also being used to revise the tutorial and the way the recipe overview works.
In the future, there will be gray-green (tutorial) and purple achievements (progression). Additionally, there will be “typical AVs” (green), which provide small bonuses or so-called vanity items.
Furthermore, the collected achievement points will also be given a name: “the Founder Score.” Although the next patch at the end of April will be significant, it is not linked to the transition to an open beta. Many are waiting for that.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In
Destiny , changes have been made to the Strike “Winter Storm,” the Archon Priest Strike. These are probably bugs, not changes.
Since yesterday, the Strike “Winter Storm” is the weekly Nightfall Strike. But something is different this time. Players have noticed changes in the procedure. Even the YouTuber “Nexxos Gaming,”
whom we featured in our article about the Nightfall, has noticed these changes in the video: The spot with the first open battle, where players shoot down, was usually a clear “sniper spot.”
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Players used to fire from the rocks at a safe distance down and eliminate the enemies. However, this no longer works, as the first wave of enemies disappears without progressing. Players are then supposed to reset their ghost at the door, and the first wave respawns again.
Therefore, players must get closer to ensure the correct procedure. This is a similar mechanic to back then at the Loot Cave: If someone ventured too far forward, enemies could no longer respawn. If everyone stayed behind a certain line, new enemies kept coming from the cave: So, one must go “down” into the combat zone as a team, otherwise the Strike “hangs.”
The preferred solution for the problem is probably to do everything as before, but leave one enemy standing and take him out up close.
Some savvy players have already used this change to utilize these “endless waves” as target dummies for certain bounties.
The theory so far has been: Bungie did not like that players could handle this spot in the Strike without risk, so they changed it. However, that is not the case. These changes to the Strike are “unintentional.” Bungie wants to look into this and comment on it soon.
Recent changes to the Winter’s Run Strike are unintentional. We’re looking into it. More on this topic, soon.
In China, ChuKong is working on a game heavily inspired by the successful series “Game of Thrones”. “Ice and Fire Online” is supposed to be a 3D fantasy RPG.
The player can choose between a “Barbarian”, a melee fighter from the Dothraki. Or they can play a witch from House Targaryen or choose a member of the Night Watch, and thus opt for an assassin class. The game is currently in closed beta and is likely intended for Android devices.
The Night Watch as an assassin, Daenerys as a witch: At first glance, it doesn’t look like George R.R. Martin approved this.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In World of Warcraft, the “Gold-for-Game-Time” token is live. This allows veterans who played WoW a long time ago to return to Azeroth. For them, WoW is effectively Free2Play.
The token was scheduled for 5:00 PM, but it was only late in the evening that players could order 30 days of game time for Gold from the “login screen.” This is interesting for players who do not have an active account but still have enough Gold from earlier times.
In Europe, the token started at 35,000, and by 9:30 PM it had already reached nearly 42k Gold. However, many former players are likely to have that much money on all their characters and can now return to WoW for 30 days without using “real” money. In the USA, the token dropped significantly below the initial value after an early rise in the coming days. Let’s see how prices will develop in Europe.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
New images have surfaced in Destiny showing the next DLC “House of Wolves”.
Tomorrow, Wednesday, April 22nd, a live stream is planned. Here, Bungie will reveal the first details about “House of Wolves”, the next DLC for Destiny.
With a small teaser, players are being hyped for the upcoming live stream. Here you can see the first images from the new “Social Space”, the second tower, so to speak: This is the Reef. New vendors and quest givers will probably be waiting for the guardians here.
The teaser also gives a tiny glimpse of the new upgrade system. One image has already suggested that players will be able to bring 300 weapons from the raid “The Glassed Chamber” (Fatebringer) to the new maximum value of 365.
So far, little is officially known about “House of Wolves”. The release date is known (May 19), it has been hinted that there will be no traditional raid, instead, the new “Trials of Osiris” and the new content “The Prison of Elders” will be introduced. Trials of Osiris and The Prison of Elders will be revealed next Wednesday and the Wednesday after. Tomorrow, the focus will be on the Reef and the new upgrade system.
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In the upgrade section of the video, those who felt it went too fast could see the following 4 items:
The Fatebringer, a weapon from “The Glassed Chamber”
Kabr’s Forceful Graves and Cuirass of the Hezen, both armor pieces from “The Glassed Chamber”
and Deathsinger’s Gaze, a helmet from the current raid “Crota’s End”
It seems that players will not only be able to upgrade legendary weapons but also legendary armor. And it appears that it is not limited to items from The Glassed Chamber but will also include items from the raid Crota’s End. Tomorrow we will surely learn more about this. The new upgrading in Destiny is likely to interest most guardians. There was already a statement earlier this year that it would not be done like with Darkness Rising: Exotic weapons and armor had to be leveled up completely again after upgrading.
Additionally, the new maximum light level will rise to 34, which is also visible in the video. This is an assumption that everyone had and it seems likely to be true, unlike the raid situation.
The mini-video serves as a small preview for the live stream tomorrow. It is scheduled to start at 8:00 PM our time. We will most likely link it and accompany it with a live ticker on mein-mmo. You can follow the essentials in German and discuss it in the comments.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Analysts take a look into the future with a forecast for the distribution of MOBAs in 2016.
Anyone who knows a little about gaming is probably aware that League of Legends has taken a leading role in the currently hottest genre, the MOBA sector, and is thriving. The potential market share of Riot in the future can be seen in this pie chart. Experts from EEDAR, video game analysts, created a forecast for 2016. LoL holds a 66% market share here. The only somewhat serious competitor, DOTA 2, stands at 14%. The remaining candidates share the remaining 20%.
The pie chart among MOBAs is probably already distributed. LoL and Dota likely have massive player bases and defend them with tooth and claw (and with ever more sophisticated skins). Anyone who wants to succeed now must offer alternatives to League of Legends and DOTA 2. This has been achieved by Hi-Rez with Smite, which occupies a different niche with the third-person perspective. Also, Heroes of the Storm, which focuses more on “accessibility,” could still play a role in 2016.
According to EEDAR, League of Legends retains players strongly simply because it takes a long time to become “good” at the game and equip one’s account with all the heroes, skins, and items. They do not want to give that up and switch to another game. Due to the dominance of League of Legends, other developers have already discontinued their MOBA titles, most recently EA with Dawngate.
EEDAR believes new titles need to offer a shallower learning curve and dazzle with innovations to have a chance.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Asia, XLGames is currently working on Civilization Online, a somewhat quirky genre mix that combines the Civilization franchise with elements of an MMO and a real-time strategy game.
Civilization Online is somewhat like being “a character” in a Civilization game, but not the great leader guiding your people through the ages, rather a diligent worker or soldier contributing to the success of large projects. We have already introduced the game with its own aesthetics and ideas. The Korean developers from XLGames, also responsible for the well-known sandbox MMO ArcheAge in the West, are leading this project.
Civilization Online is currently being developed intensively in Korea and is preparing to enter the final Closed Beta phase. The unusual nature of the genre mix is also evident in the genre abbreviation with 9 letters: it is supposed to be a Real-Time-Strategy-Massively-Multiplayer-Online-Role-Playing-Game, “short” an RTSMMORPG.
Currently, the wonders of the industrial age have been introduced into the game, including the classics: the Statue of Liberty, Big Ben, and the Eiffel Tower.
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