A Korean investment firm has analyzed NCSoft and its MMO titles like WildStar and Guild Wars 2.
Daewoo Securities is a Korean investment firm. The last time we heard from them was when they correctly predicted that Guild Wars 2 would get an expansion in 2015. This is significantly less impressive considering they had predicted that in previous years as well, but oh well.
Daewoo Securities sees extremely dark prospects for WildStar when analyzing NCSoft’s portfolio. With only $585,000 left, they see the SF MMO’s monthly revenue. They probably aren’t leaning too far out of the window with that: The last results from the fourth quarter of 2014 were disastrous for WildStar. However, they believe in a rosy future for Guild Wars 2: The release of Heart of Thorns is expected in the third quarter of 2015. They expect the revenue GW2 generates to sextuple compared to the second quarter of 2015.
The future of NCSoft relies on Guild Wars 2, Lineage Eternal, and Mobile Games
Let’s hope not.
Daewoo Securities also comments on the dispute between NCSoft and Nexon. Nexon, as a larger shareholder, plans to take control of NCSoft. According to Daewoo, this has not yet affected the stock price. Overall, the investment firm believes that NCSoft’s situation should significantly improve in the second half of 2015 compared to the first. Major moments are planned here: Besides the Guild Wars 2 expansion, they expect several mobile games to be strong, and they are banking on Lineage Eternal, which is expected to go into beta in the second half of 2015. The Lineage franchise is still NCSoft’s biggest draw despite its old age.
The “Then it went well” number for sold GW2 expansions is set at 3 million, while anything above 2 million sold units is considered “still okay”. Anything below or a delay into 2016 is seen as a bad scenario. In that case, if both the mobile games and Lineage Eternal disappoint, Nexon might gain the support of other shareholders and increase control over NCSoft. In an ideal situation (mobile games do well, Lineage Eternal beta is great; GW2 sells like hotcakes), Nexon could exit instead.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The free-to-play MMO Skyforge is currently in closed beta. The Russian project is seen as a hopeful candidate for the coming years. Our author Schuhmann reports from the closed beta. What is his first impression? What is his opinion.
For about a year, I have been writing about Skyforge, watching many videos, and reading even more about it. Accordingly, I was very excited about the closed beta. Since Wednesday, I finally had the opportunity to really play Skyforge, and I want to provide you with a first impression. This should all be taken with caution. Such first impressions are always personally colored.
I have not played all 6 classes equally or engaged with every aspect equally. But no game can ultimately do that. And of course, Skyforge is still in early closed beta, so everything can still change. Therefore: This is not a review, it is not indisputable, this is not the “truth,” this is an impression. And if you have a different one, we look forward to reading it in the comments.
Be glad that I start the article this way. The alternative was: “Throw yourselves in the dust, mortals, your new god is here”, but since I was recently confused with Cortyn, I decided to refrain from that.
So: To Skyforge.
Skyforge is a lobby MMO, not an MMORPG, as veterans would wish
The first thing everyone should understand: With every new MMORPG come players who long for the freedom and possibilities that earlier games like Ultima Online provided. They can stop reading right away. Skyforge is nothing for them. It probably isn’t a game for MMORPG fans who insist on the “RPG” aspect.
Skyforge is a lobby MMO and has much more in common with Diablo 3 than with “classic role-playing games.” Everything that “purists” have complained about in World of Warcraft in recent years is pushed to the extreme by Skyforge. There is no exploration, no crafting, hardly any classic quest zones, and few social elements (those are supposed to come with the guilds).
Skyforge is the definition of a lobby MMO, where you teleport from a lobby straight into the “relevant instances” without any path in between. It’s a bit like only staying in the city in World of Warcraft and leveling up to 90 through the “group finder.” A nightmare for some, a brief distraction for others.
The gameplay of Skyforge
Partially instances, partially Guild Wars 2 maps
Most of the time, you spend in
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In a trailer, Star Citizen looks into its own future and shows how the space MMO is supposed to be more than the sum of its already enormous parts.
At SXSW, a trade fair in Texas, there was a code, that lets you play Star Citizen for free for a week. But that wasn’t all: There was also a mega trailer for the Kickstarter sensation (it is assumed that the 100 million dollar mark will be surpassed. This much success raises critics: For months they have shown skepticism towards the title, questioning whether the developers will really achieve their visions and whether the extremely ambitious plans already reveal megalomania and overconfidence.
This is also not conclusively answerable according to the trailer. However: If all modules, the space combat, the shooter, and also the social module, eventually work together like shown in the trailer, then… no idea. We could probably all be damn glad.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Destiny it has been achieved after over half a year by the first player to actually solo Atheon, the boss of the first raid.
The next thing that everyone thought was impossible in Destiny is accomplished: Atheon, the raid boss from “The Vault of Glass” was defeated by a single player. It was considered an extraordinary achievement to do it with at least two players. A certain game mechanic required multiple players.
It was of course a “Praise the Sun” Lazarus Warlock. His “super ability” consists of resurrecting from the dead. However, after a successful resurrection, it usually takes too long for it to be possible again. The player needs it quickly enough that he can intentionally die every time Atheon opens the portals, in order to resurrect afterward. Otherwise, he would be pulled into another dimension from which he cannot escape without a partner.
But that is just the rough framework of this idea: The fine details took months for tactical planners to figure out. The player in the video was the first to execute them perfectly. In the video, primarily grenades are used on Atheon, as they enjoy a damage buff during the time streams.
The Warlock also uses as exotic items the “Heart of Praxic Fire” and the exotic pulse rifle “Bad Juju.” The rifle is necessary to generate enough super through kills on the Supplicants or to push the cooldown of the super enough so that the Lazarus “resurrecting from the dead” trick is regularly and timely possible. The chest armor Heart of Praxic Fire allows a hail of grenades after resurrecting. Grenades deal 5 times the damage during the boss encounter.
The strategy to accomplish the impossible in Destiny, when watched, bears a little resemblance to that Tom Cruise movie “Edge of Tomorrow” – which had the subtitle “Live. Die. Repeat.” It is impressive how confidently he takes out the little creatures. If he misses just one, it’s game over.
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When it came to grenades, Bungie was faced with a serious problem: They would have to design the grenade throw with every weapon “in mind.” After all, you would throw a grenade completely differently if you were holding a pistol or a rocket launcher in the other hand. This would require 25 different motion sequences.
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But here, Bungie was simply clever. If you look closely, the first animation preceding every grenade throw is the avatar lowering the weapon first: This turned 25 animations into just one, perfectly executed.
The Field of View: Just Set It a Little Lower
Hesby also revealed another secret: “When designing a shooter, you want to place the crosshair right in the center of the screen first.” However, if you set it a little lower, fields of view above and to the sides open up, allowing for peripheral vision.
The MMO shooter Destiny is facing a lot of criticism. However, the core mechanic, known as gunplay, is beyond any doubt. How did Destiny achieve this?
It is fascinating what game designers have to deal with. They focus on the issues faced by gamers that we feel deeply but cannot articulate, even if they spoil the entire game for us. And they work hard to ensure that we do not encounter these problems.
If you ask hardcore players why they still play Destiny despite all the issues, they will say something like: “It just feels good.” But why does it feel good? This is the responsibility of David Heslby, one of the senior animators at Bungie, who explained some of his tricks at GDC.
The Tricks of the Destiny Developers
Camera Control: Borrowed from Boxers
One of the most sensitive topics in shooters is “camera control.” How does the player’s field of view move when they move and perform actions? If the camera remains static, it feels “wrong,” too “airy.” If the camera mimics the player character’s movements too much, it becomes jerky and unstable. Players do not feel comfortable, but rather get almost motion sick, especially if they are prone to it: “Even if only 10% of players feel uncomfortable, you alienate people when you sell a million games, that’s 100,000 players,” Helsby explains. That’s why camera animation is so critical.
One might think to simply attach a camera to a runner and see how they perceive the world as they move. But according to Helsby, that’s not a solution. And he knows, he tried just that once.
Then they found the answer with boxers. They already know in advance about each of their punches and position their heads accordingly. When a boxer winds up for a punch, they also move their punching hand with their head. However, before making contact with the opponent, the head swings in the opposite direction to maintain balance.
This was the secret that made the animations in Destiny so convincing. According to Helsby, you can see this best in the knife melee of the hunter.
The Grenade Trick: Only One Instead of Twenty-Five Animations
When it came to grenades, Bungie was faced with a serious problem: They would have to design the grenade throw with every weapon “in mind.” After all, you would throw a grenade completely differently if you were holding a pistol or a rocket launcher in the other hand. This would require 25 different motion sequences.
But here, Bungie was simply clever. If you look closely, the first animation preceding every grenade throw is the avatar lowering the weapon first: This turned 25 animations into just one, perfectly executed.
The Field of View: Just Set It a Little Lower
Hesby also revealed another secret: “When designing a shooter, you want to place the crosshair right in the center of the screen first.” However, if you set it a little lower, fields of view above and to the sides open up, allowing for peripheral vision.
The leading MOBA League of Legends must continuously excite the players. In addition to new champions, gameplay changes are of course part of it. Riot has now announced a mastery system that allows you to level up each champion individually – similar to Blizzard’s MOBA Heroes of the Storm.
Motivation outside the Ladder
Players who have sworn off Ranked Games could also say goodbye to progress after reaching level 30. This is exactly where Riot wants to step in and give players motivation for the future. The more you play with a champion, the more experience you gain and level up that champion. Although you won’t receive any improvements in the Summoner’s Rift, you can show your friends how much experience you have with a champion or not. The complete list of new features that you can already try out on the test server can be found on the official Riot page.
Copied from HotS?
The experience for the mastery system is currently only obtained through normal games. The visibility could become problematic: If other players see the mastery level via the Team Builder, it might be difficult to level up new champions, as everyone could leave the lobby and prefer to play with experienced summoners. The system immediately triggered associations for me with Heroes of the Storm. Here, too, you level up with individual champions, gain gold, and even receive a special skin at level 10. The action MOBA SMITE has a similar system.
Heroes of the Storm is still in closed beta, and Blizzard does not see the game as a classic MOBA. However, alongside Dota 2, League of Legends will soon have to compete for customers with HotS.
What do you think of the mastery system: Good adaptation or cheap copy?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
As announced at the Rezzed fair, the fantasy MMORPG Guild Wars 2 is replacing the WvW map, dthe Borderlands.
This is a development that has truly surprised many fans… well, surprised is too little, horrified is too much: As revealed at the London fair Rezzed, Guild Wars 2 is replacing the current Borderlands map “Alpine Borderlands” with the expansion “Heart of Thorns” against the “Desert Borderlands”. This is a massive change. The old Borderlands are set to completely disappear for now. Perhaps they will be brought back to the game for a special occasion later or introduced in a rotation.
The World-versus-World in Guild Wars 2 works in such a way that there are three identical “Borderlands” maps (in blue, red, and green versions), each of which is assigned to a world, a server. In addition, there is another central map. The team that controls the most objectives on these four maps also collects the most points.
It’s a kind of 4-level chess. Only there are significantly more pieces and special rules. It’s a complex matter. The WvW of GW2 is famous for its commanders, its strategies, the chaos, and the massive zerg. A completely new map with numerous fresh ideas or even just modifications of the existing one requires a rethink.
The current map aims to bring variety and also solve some existing problems. As noted by the US site Tenonhammer, these include that forts change ownership too easily and defenders are at a disadvantage. They are joyfully blasted off the ramparts.
The changes are impressive: The various forts will have an “elemental theme”: Air, Fire, and Earth.
With the Desert Borderlands, shrines are expected to be introduced that can be captured by solo players and whose ownership truly impacts the course of the battle. At the Fire Keep, for example, one should be able to summon fire protection towers with the first shrine, when controlling two shrines, hellhounds can be summoned, and if the team that controls the fort occupies three fire shrines, it can walk on lava.
In an initial trailer, you can catch a glimpse of the new Borderlands of GW2.
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The expansion Heart of Thorns does not yet have a release date. With it, the changes presented here are expected to take effect. For more information about HoT, check out our GW2 topic page.
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In the space MMO Star Citizen, players can fly for a week for free.
Last week there was already a promotional code from PAX East, allowing players to try out the Kickstarter wonder Star Citizen. We thought it would be the last chance for a while. Wrong.
This weekend, another fair took place, and once again there was a promotional code, allowing players who weren’t there to redeem it. And since hardly any of you were in Austin, Texas: Well.
The procedure is the same as last time. You need a free account, then enter the following code on this page: SXSWFREEFLY2K15 and you can – within the limited scope of a demo – try out Star Citizen, after downloading a 20 GB client. What that scope is, we have already explained in this article.
The code doesn’t come from us, but from US sites. We are totally innocent. But that’s what happens when you only offer a universal code without any protection. It is strongly assumed that at Star Citizen they are aware of the effect this will have and are willing to accept it. At least players can feel a bit like space bandits. Do you feel that adrenaline?
The struggling Norwegian gaming studio Funcom is working on a new project. Perhaps on Anarchy Online 2?
Staying with Funcom, but in a different role: Joel Bylos.
Joel Bylos was the Game Director of two games in Funcom’s stable until this month: The Secret World and Age of Conan. He has now left both positions, not to switch to a competitor, but to oversee a new project within Funcom. He did not specify what it is yet.
I’ve been asked to work on something that is super exciting and totally not something I am allowed to talk about, and the time commitment means that I can’t keep up my duties on TSW and AoC (AO I have been mostly advisory for a while anyway).
Based on the recent meager numbers, it wasn’t really expected that Funcom could handle something bigger. While fans, as reported by massivelyop, are keeping their fingers crossed that it might be for a sequel to the aging Anarchy Online, a disappointing solution for MMORPG fans seems likely: Perhaps a mobile game.
An MMORPG on the scale of Age of Conan, The Secret World or for its time Anarchy Online will likely be unaffordable. But one can hope.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Guild Wars 2 is switching to a streaming client, Blizzard is already using it, and League of Legends is opting out. What are the pros and cons?
Usually, you install a client and it first downloads several gigabytes of data. Each time the program starts again, these are checked and any patches installed before you regain access to the game.
However, more and more MMOs are switching to streaming clients. With these, the game can be started after just a few hundred megabytes. The download occurs in the background. Patches can also be installed during the game, so it only needs to be restarted.
Guild Wars already had this technology. When entering a new map, it would be downloaded first. Now its successor also wants to adopt a similar method. But what advantages come from this? And what disadvantages?
Starting the game faster
Instead of downloading many gigabytes, only a few megabytes are enough. Therefore, you hardly have to wait and can start the game much sooner. While creating your character, watching the intro, and playing the tutorial, all other files are installed in the background. Those who just want to test the game or spend a lot of time on character creation have a time advantage. Ideally, you won’t notice the streaming client because the new areas are downloaded faster than the player can complete them.
But for this, the internet connection should be fast enough. About 5 Mbit/s or more would be recommended. Otherwise, loading times become too long, and playing in a group becomes problematic. You are in a boss fight and after the wipe, the healer says, “Excuse me, I didn’t see the void zone, its texture hasn’t been installed yet.”
The start of the game is typically characterized by linearity or loading times. The more open the game world is at the beginning, the more likely the player can reach a location whose data is still missing. If an MMO has a streaming client from the start, the beginning of the game is usually very linear. This gives the client important time.
Surrounded by naked players
When entering the capital or another gathering place for many players at the beginning, the characters are displayed without equipment. Because this and other textures are only installed as needed. If you are surrounded by many players, the client can’t keep up.
Alternatively, characters may not be displayed at all. If suddenly 30 players appear in front of you in PvP, that is surely not a pleasant sight. But this is not a real disadvantage for Guild Wars 2. You had your time to get used to it.
You also have to prepare for lower graphics quality. High-resolution textures come last. They require a lot of storage space but have little impact on gameplay. Also, for MMOs with realistic lighting and shadow effects as well as reflections, you shouldn’t expect a streaming client. After all, there is also a larger installation folder because the files are more segmented than usual.
How it will behave in Guild Wars 2
Despite all the disadvantages, the time-saving advantage outweighs. For most MMOs, the streaming client is optional. Thus, it can also be set or disabled in Guild Wars 2 via a menu.
For Guild Wars 2, the 5 starter zones for level range 1-15 are installed at first launch. Afterwards, a priority list can be set. This means the player specifies which map should be prioritized for download. Alternatively, you can also enter and admire the loading screen. Pressing F11 opens the mentioned menu to disable the streaming client.
You can already test this client now. Right-click on the shortcut, properties, and in the field “Target:” at the end (after the quotation marks) enter -StreamingClient.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Destiny, dataminers predicted the weekly Nightfall strike for March 17.
The weekly Nightfall strike, known as Nightfall in Destiny, is, according to statements from the Japanese prophet Megaman, “The Will of Crota,” the DLC strike against Omnigul with the Arc-Burn modifier.
There are 4 variants of The Will of Crota in Destiny
This would be the fifth time that The Will of Crota has been selected as the Nightfall strike. It thus has three major characteristics:
It is only accessible to players who have the “The Dark Below” DLC activated.
It appears much more often than other strikes in the Nightfall rotation – at least once every month.
It is the only Nightfall strike in Destiny that has more than two variants. The “Will of Crota” is available with Arc-Burn (December 9 and March 15), Solar-Burn (December 30), with Triple-Burn (January 27), without Burn (February 17).
Now, all Nightfall variants in “The Dark Below” should have had their turn
Now in its fifth occurrence, it would be the first time that an Omnigul variant is repeated. Perhaps now the “circle” is closed and next time The Will of Crota appears as the Nightfall in Destiny, it will continue with a Solar-Burn. Since The “Will of Crota” has twice as many variants as all other strikes, it is also logical that it appears twice as often as all other strikes. This is certainly to promote the DLC “The Dark Below” in Destiny. We have addressed the issues, that arise from the abundant DLC content in the weekly rotation, in an article.
“Hobby-predictors” with “After X comes always Y!” can now at least plan that they will have to include twice as many Omnigul strikes in the Nightfall circle as other strikes.
The modifiers for the Nightfall on March 17
Nightfall – When all players are dead, go back to start
Epic – harder than heroic
Lightswitch – enemies deal so much damage with melee attacks that the lights go out quickly
Angry – enemies are so enraged that high damage won’t stop them
Arc-Burn – Arc damage is greatly increased
The weekly heroic strike also has Arc-Burn activated.
What weapons are recommended?
Weapons with Arc damage are recommended.
Primary Weapons: The scout rifle Ir Yût’s Bite, the pulse rifle Oversoul Edict or the Deus Ex Machina.
Special Weapons: For example, the sniper rifle Patience and Time.
Special Weapons: The machine gun Thunderlord.
If you want to take a look at strategies on how the strike was previously completed, here is our article from December 9. Omnigul Arc-Burn was the first strike with the new DLC.
Now we are one step further and show you an unboxing video, where Final Fantasy mastermind Naoki Yoshida together with Community Manager Toshio Murouchi is going through the box.
And we have the US dollar prices for you. The Collector’s Edition should cost $129.99, the digital Collector’s Edition $59.99, and the standard edition $39.99. It wouldn’t be surprising if, with the current Euro exchange rate, the $ would simply turn into €.
There is one more piece of information: Anyone who has an old PlayStation 3 with only 20 GB storage needs to upgrade it, as Heavensward simply won’t fit on it anymore. As can be seen from the video, the pre-order for Heavensward starts on Monday morning at 8:00 AM.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Final Fantasy XIV, the next patch, 2.52, is expected to be released by the end of March.
The wheels of Final Fantasy XIV continue to turn relentlessly. In mid-June, we will see the first expansion with Heavensward. Until then, there is still much to do in the “old world,” and above all, it is necessary to find an ending. The next patch 2.52 will form the conclusion of the “A Realm Reborn” storyline. This is still part of “Before the Fall.” They already introduced the first part earlier this year, in January, before Square Enix took a detour with “Gold Saucer”. Now they are back on the main road and will conclude the storyline.
While one might suspect that there will be a cliffhanger or two that will drive players straight to Ishgard. We are curious.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In World of Warcraft , Blizzard surprisingly increases the item level of Blackrock Foundry.
On Saturday, not many people expect major announcements from Blizzard, so today they probably wanted to shock the fans of World of Warcraft: The item level of Blackrock Foundry will be increased!
5 points more on everything from the new WoW raid, retroactively
The developers concluded that players felt too little rewarded by the new raid instance. For this reason, all items from the current raid tier are being granted 5 levels. This change also applies to items already in the possession of players. A previously unwanted item might soon be useful. By the way, the increase applies to all difficulty levels from LFR to Mythic.
At the same time, the new craftable items and equipment pieces from the Apexis vendor will also be adjusted to maintain their relative strength compared to the raid loot.
No exact date for the hotfix has been announced yet. It is certain only that it will go live in “next week” in World of Warcraft.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
On ArcheAge there was another live stream on Friday outlining the future of the game. Patrons will receive work points in full even when they are not logged in.
Another ArcheAge live stream took place on Friday, where the producer Merv Lee Kwai answered community questions and announced news.
The most important probably: The Patron status will become even more attractive. Patrons will soon receive the same offline work point regeneration as online. Currently, players only regenerate half offline. For “non-patrons” there will be no changes. Patrons are the paying players in ArcheAge, where this status can also be earned “in-game”. Additionally, patrons will be able to access the auction house from anywhere. These changes are set to come in April.
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Flying Horses, Red Dragon, Better Supply Chests, More Archeum
As a new attractive mount, the Pegasus comes to the game. It will be available through loyalty points or as a reward from one of the controversial supply chests. This is planned for March 26.
Supply chests have been a sensitive topic: Here they want to make improvements and, as announced, will remove the “weakest results.” Archeum should also be easier to obtain in the game, for instance in the “Coinpurses” that drop from mobs.
An event for the “Spirit of the Red Dragon” is also planned. This special mob is supposed to appear 3 times a day on 8 weekends (which count in ArcheAge as Thursday to Sunday). For each player who loots it within an hour, there will be Archeum and special scales from which a cape can be crafted.
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As is often the case with live streams, there is a lot of mixed information: The next major patch 1.7 is planned for early May. They are also working on offering server transfers. Until this is technically possible, they want to increase the population of the smaller realms by occasionally restricting character creation on highly populated ones. Additionally, they are changing the conditions under which land can be sold in-game and introducing “Fishing Tournaments.”
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In The Elder Scrolls Online, the transition to “Tamriel Unlimited”, the Buy2Play version of the game, is pending. A trailer has been produced to explain to returning players what has been improved since the release.
On YouTube, a fan has already uploaded the new trailer for The Elder Scrolls Online. It will likely be officially presented again on Wednesday. The trailer showcases the myriad of big and small changes that have been made to TESO compared to its release.
From the improved spam filter, to the facial animations of the NPCs, to the better “feel in combat”, the dye system, the better mini-dungeons, and the new justice system, everything possible is listed here: A veritable bombardment of improvements. All of this is underlined by the heroic music of The Elder Scrolls Online and enhanced with atmospheric images: This is truly a siren call that is hard to resist.
Players who have dropped out at some point over the last few months are given plenty of reasons to check back in starting March 17. And they won’t even need a subscription for that. One thing is clear: It will be a significantly improved game available on Tuesday. Playstation 4 and Xbox One players can look forward to June 9 when the game will also be released for consoles.
Will TESO soon have us back in its clutches?
Mein MMO says: Man, man, man – there has really been a lot going on in a year of The Elder Scrolls Online. The trailer makes that clear once again. There are also some things that we now take for granted and without which we can no longer imagine TESO – like the dye system. Most of the changes can be found somewhere in the depths of our now huge, catacomb-like TESO theme page. Does it make you want to jump back in, or how do you see it? We’ve also asked that question in our community article, so feel free to join the lively discussions there.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
An interview with Destiny’s Production Director, Jonty Barnes, can now give fans hope. At Bungie, they see many things as the gamers do.
Interviews with Bungie employees are rare. Most communication comes through the Weekly Update, which often provides only vague information. When Raid Designer Luke Smith spoke clearly last time, there was more information about the future of Destiny than collected in a month of “Weekly Update”.
The surprise: At Bungie, they see almost everything as the community does.
The strengths of Destiny: The core gameplay
When asked what he likes best about Destiny, Barnes replies: “What I like most is that we have created a game that you can enjoy together. We have been working on Destiny for 6 years now, and I still play it with friends. (…) Many of the employees are incredibly proud of the core gameplay mechanics. Playing the game is simply fun. And we have worked hard to get to where we are today. And we are very proud of that.”
This core mechanic is, according to Barnes, also the foundation of success. The action gameplay Bungie is renowned for works well in Destiny.
Barnes probably means the famous “30-second loop”, a sequence of shooting, moving, taking cover, throwing grenades, shooting, that repeated itself in Halo and was considered the basis for making the game feel good. The major plus that is also attributed to Destiny.
According to Barnes, reward systems, a responsive AI, and the ability to play cooperatively add to this foundation. That is the recipe for Destiny’s success.
The weaknesses of Destiny: The story and the slow introduction of new game content
When asked what the team would do differently in Destiny if they had the chance, the answer was refreshingly clear: “We would make some different decisions regarding the game’s story today.”
Additionally, Barnes personally wishes that they could create new locations in the universe faster to give players more to do.
Personally, I wish we could build more places in our universe faster.
The future of Destiny?
According to Barnes, the outlook on “creating new places faster” is positive. The systems they have for bringing in new things evolve just as the players do. Therefore, they will be able to meet players’ wishes faster and satisfy their demands more promptly in the future.
Fortunately, the systems we use to build those worlds is evolving right alongside the player, better enabling us to meet their demands.
At the moment, they have the problem of having too many great ideas to choose from, as the strong community brings so many ideas to the team. In making choices, they will rely on what they believe to be right within the team itself. Because at heart, everyone at Bungie is a gamer.
From the last year, they have also learned that players embrace an “existing universe” like that of Destiny, and the player base continues to grow. This insight has already fostered a rethink of how to design games and what players yearn for.
In the zombie MMO H1Z1 the goal is to populate the map densely and fill it with content before expanding it. New world events are also planned, and maybe air drops without real money.
Clegg is the man for map design, video presentations, and shitstorms
The survival MMO H1Z1 releases a dev spotlight every Friday. A team member presents their work, and there are often hints about the future of the zombie MMO. This time it was Adam Clegg’s turn. He was briefly in the spotlight before early access, when he made a significant error during a stream presentation about “airdrops”. He said at the time that there would be no advantages available for real money. This was interpreted by the developers as “fraud” since aircraft drops that could be ordered for real money still came with weapons and items. But well, that issue has long been put to rest.
Clegg is the face of H1Z1 along with Jimmy Whisenhunt. He appears in numerous videos. However, in his “normal job”, he is a level designer and thus responsible for the map of H1Z1.
First, fill empty spots
As is known, the H1Z1 map is expected to grow larger over time. But that is still in the future: For the foreseeable near future, it will remain as large as it currently is. Right now, the focus is on filling in the “empty spots” where not much is happening. A larger map will come when the technology is ready for it.
World event: Dam
The next world event (at the moment there are only air drops) involves something around the central dam. What exactly it will be, Clegg is not revealing yet. They want to wait until the designers have a better model of the dam, and then get started.
Air drops in H1Z1 might soon be automatic
And regarding the air drops that Clegg has an unfortunate history with, there is also more information: They are considering using them in a significantly more flexible manner in the future. Perhaps there will be air drops that come automatically without a player ordering them for real money. This was a demand that often came up during the shitstorm for early access two months ago.
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As the “WoW Token” will be introduced soon, allowing players to purchase their game time in World of Warcraft with gold, the currency is more sought after than ever.
Many players are already collecting as much gold as possible to be able to play “for free” for a long time afterward. The YouTuber Bellular has listed the ten most popular methods for farming gold quickly and reliably.
1. Old Cataclysm Raids
Cleaning the Cataclysm raids for 25 players on heroic difficulty weekly is especially worthwhile. This can easily be done solo and yields, depending on the instance, up to 3000 gold in half an hour. If you have more than one character at level 100, you can of course get significantly more capital out of this!
2. Tailor: The first room in the Bastion of Twilight
If you have a tailor, you should consider visiting the first room of the raid “Bastion of Twilight,” clearing the first room, and looting everything. You will receive a little gold, a lot of glimmering cloth, and some green items. Leave the instance, reset the raid, and repeat as often as possible. If you process the cloth into bolts and disenchant the green items, you can create glimmering cloth bags that can be sold for several hundred gold in the auction house.
3. Treasure Hunter Mission in the Garrison
Lazy players let their followers farm for them. The particularly lucrative “Treasure Hunter” missions bring a lot of gold, which can be increased by utilizing the corresponding NPCs that have the “Treasure Hunter” trait. With just two to three clicks, the gold comes in!
4. Tailor: Farming cloth in Pandaria at Sra’vess and the Ruins of Guo’lai
In Pandaria, you can effectively farm wind wool cloth as a tailor at two locations. Once in the Ruins of Guo’lai and then on Sra’vess island. Once you have enough cloth, process it into bolts and craft as many “Crafted Dreadful Gladiator’s Cloaks” as possible. These can be sold for 17 gold each to a vendor. If you want to get even more, stock up on some “Elixir of Fortune” beforehand to obtain more loot.
5. Alchemist: Transmuting magical elements
With 6.1, alchemists gained the ability to transform elements of one type into another. When different elements are offered at different prices, simply buy the cheaper element and transmute it to the most expensive one, which can then be directly resold in the auction house.
6. Selling Wildblood
Wildblood is still highly sought after and can be farmed much easier thanks to the changes to the barn. Team up with a small group and farm the elite creatures in Nagrand to cage them and then use them for work orders. Due to the relatively long time, this method is especially worthwhile for “earning” some coins on the side.
7. Crafting 640 epics as often as possible
Almost trivial, but of course, you must not forget the crafting professions. All armor crafters can create 640 items and sell them. While prices are currently in free fall because the cooldown for crafting has basically been removed, you can still make some players happy with fresh gear, and at least a few thousand should change hands.
8. Selling gems and potions
Raiders in particular consume enormous amounts of gems and potions, making both products always popular in the auction house. A character with the right professions probably won’t get extremely rich, but you can certainly earn a good sum with potions and stones. Keep an eye on the time – prices often rise in the evening during raid time, allowing for a bit more profit!
9. Farming the “Dented Sword Grip”
The “Dented Sword Grip” is a quite popular quest item that is offered in the auction house for between 5,000 and 20,000 gold. It can be found in all three “Icecrown” instances on heroic difficulty. Especially the Pit of Saron is suitable for effective farming, as you can pull all enemies together relatively undisturbed, reset the instance after finishing the job, and repeat the process. While this method relies heavily on luck, a persistent player can extract a lot of gold from the old WotLK instances.
10. As a group: Farming trash groups in Blackrock Foundry
Currently, killing trash groups in the raid “Blackrock Foundry” is particularly popular. Grab a handful of like-minded people and farm the various trash groups. Especially before “Irongoblin,” a small group can farm effectively. Depending on your efficiency, some epic items should drop that are bound on equip and can thus be sold in the auction house. After a few hours, each group member should have received at least one item.
Finally, a personal tip from me: My significant gold income currently comes from pets. Especially the new companions from the Black Temple, Sunwell Plateau, and Mount Hyjal can be sold for a lot of money. You can even add nearly 4,000 gold when you level the pet to level 25 before selling; this can be done in less than half an hour!
All mentioned tips can also be viewed in motion in this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgWYPXyBI_8
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
