The asymmetric team shooter Evolve is released today. A review embargo expired at 6:00 AM German time. We summarize the tests and reviews from various magazines for you.
Evolve is one of the first shakes in the gaming market in 2015. A good sign so far: The press had access to the servers beforehand, and at 6:00 AM this morning an embargo expired and major US sites published their tests and reviews. We have tracked them down for you and summarized them. These are often just “provisional judgments” or “first impressions” from the press servers after 20-30 hours, but they paint an initial picture.
Polygon: Yes, but …
Polygon (8/10): The Polygon tester spent 25 hours with the pre-release version and repeatedly calls Evolve “ambitious.” A game with big goals. But like all “big endeavors,” it needs refinement. When entering new territory, one encounters new challenges.
Classic “Hunt” matches are often one-sided and it is clear from the start who will win. The balance is also not yet harmonious; some hunter abilities and the monster “Wraith” are too strong (Note from mein-mmo.de: This should be fixed in a Day One Patch ). The tester also struggles with unlocking and upgrading the monsters and hunters. It feels sluggish and presents an artificial hurdle.
On the plus side, Evolve is a hell of a lot of fun, especially in a team. It has a kind of “party” factor, and the additional modes provide variety. In particular, the Defense mode has captured the tester’s interest; these are longer matches that develop more slowly and allow for mistakes.
The Escapist: Co-Op Fun with minor flaws
The Escapist (9/10) enjoys the co-op shooter and the team play it offers. Evolve is a game that presents players with challenges, a variety of them. Teamwork is especially important. When everything comes together and you have a strong team, it becomes an incredibly “satisfying game.”
The Escapist points out the complicated DLC plan and the frustration that arises when you end up on the wrong side of a one-sided match.
Gamespot: Intense
Gamespot (8/10) highlights the atmosphere in its critique. It is exciting and intense. Sometimes Evolve is the Blair Witch Project among shooters: you wander aimlessly, there are eerie sounds, a sense of an imminent threat, and you wait for something exciting to happen. And when it does, when it comes to battle, the clashes between hunters and monsters are intense.
For Gamespot, the game is best when playing with friends.
And what else is there?
Several more reviews have been published. The consensus is quite clear: Evolve shines in co-op mode; solo it is difficult to not fun at all. Most have played around 20-30 hours and are curious about what the community will make of the game. Criticism arises regarding the test servers, where some “bad matches” were found with one-sided outcomes; especially the “typical” Hunt mode can quickly become one-sided.
Much positive feedback is given regarding the sound, the atmosphere, and the varied missions. It looks very positive at first glance, as one would expect.
In Destiny guardians have now found a way to dominate the Crucible. Through a class synergy with Titans, incredible stats are achieved.
Currently, a video from the Crucible is circulating in Destiny, promising incredible stats and values.
Guide to being IMBA in Destiny’s Crucible
The tactic goes, according to the video creator:
Form a team of 4 Titans and fill the remaining spots with Warlocks or Hunters.
The four Titans ideally wear the exotic chest piece “Mark of Alpha Lupi,” then they generate 3 Orbs of Light per bubble instead of 2. With four Titans, that means 12 Orbs of Light per bubble round if the others collect them, leading to a Super.
Now enter the Crucible and wait for everyone to have their Super ready.
Find a spot and let the Titans start bubbling.
Warlocks and Hunters begin to annihilate everything in the area with infinite Supers.
In the forums, there is discussion about whether this tactic is “legitimate” or just completely unfair.
On one hand, these “infinite Supers” are certainly a killer. On the other hand, a bit of skill is required to achieve these kills. Since Destiny is not a “eSport” and coordinated groups are rarely found in the Crucible, the issue doesn’t seem too urgent. After all, it requires coordinated action and a special group composition.
As the community manager said in a stream: “Most who see opponents with the same emblems or clan tags in the Crucible leave the match immediately anyway.”
Let’s see if countermeasures can be found for this “tactic.” Otherwise, it’s a matter of waiting.
There is already a Crucible planned with the Inferno mode, in which Supers will not play a role. When and if it comes, however, is still open. Some expect a release during House of Wolves.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The sale of Sony Online Entertainment, the studio behind MMOs like Everquest, PlanetSide 2, H1Z1, or Everquest Next, surprised many. Analysts believe they have found an explanation.
According to Fortune, SOE was founded in the late 90s to develop subscription-based MMOs. In recent years, however, the market has shifted toward free-to-play MMOs. Only Blizzard still makes money with World of Warcraft the “old way”. The crux seems to be that SOE is focusing on a free-to-play model, but on the wrong platform.
Free-to-Play grows strongest on Mobile
Did SOE not fit Sony’s corporate strategy?
According to analyst Michael Pachter, the sale of SOE should be understood as Sony not seeing the future of free-to-play games on PC, but rather in the mobile market. The free-to-play market is growing strongest on tablets and smartphones. SOE, with its focus on PC games, could not contribute anything here.
According to Pachter’s assessment, the investment group Columbus Nova contacted Sony and made an offer for SOE. They did not have to put SOE up for sale on the open market.
Sony retreats from PC
According to another analyst, Sartori Bernbeck, the sale of SOE shows that Sony wants to focus even more on Playstation as a primary platform in the future. A year ago, Sony already abandoned the PC hardware division Sony Vaio, which Fortune sees as a sign that Sony is distancing itself from the PC market.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The upcoming MMO Skyforge is currently in beta in Russia, and a video shows the character creation process.
We have reported a lot about Skyforge in the last few months, seen many screenshots, but the current game and moving images are relatively rare. This is slowly changing now as the game continues to progress and mature. In Russia, they are already a bit further along, while the western localization is lagging behind (but not too far). In any case, today we have a current video of the character creation for you and take this opportunity to summarize what is known about Skyforge.
The features of Skyforge at a glance
Skyforge is set to be a Free2Play action MMO for PC with:
The Russian developers place great value on aesthetics. They adopt a model similar to The Secret World and do not let new items appear on the character; rather, the wardrobe is equipment-independent. As is usual with games with this design decision, great emphasis is placed on character creation.
Character creation is important anyway in MMOs with Asian influence; and Russian games strongly emphasize this, being an interesting mix of Asian and Western design ideas in MMOs. Skyforge is being developed not only by the Russian team from Allods but also by some developers from the West. They are supposed to ensure it resonates here as well. The chances for this are not bad at all, as the developers are from Obsidian Entertainment, the studio behind Fallout: New Vegas. They have explained to the Russians that gender locking is not a good idea.
Here is a video of the character creation from the beta. As starter classes, there are the Paladin (Tank), the Lightbinder (Support), and the Cryomancer (DPS).
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The zombie survival MMO H1Z1 is a hit on Steam, but three issues continue to plague it: the loot distribution is problematic, zombies are too dumb, and player structures lack fine-tuning.
H1Z1 is a hit: it competes with DayZ on Steam, streamers have discovered it, and the banned hackers constantly buy new Russian keys. But there are at least three major issues in H1Z1 that the game suffers from in this early version. We present them.
The loot – sometimes good, sometimes bad
The loot in H1Z1, how often players find something, is a persistent and recurring problem. In the beginning, there was almost nothing, then suddenly too much, now the loot has been reduced again and now the gamers find it too little.
The problem: After a server restart, everything works. Once the containers have been looted, respawning often does not happen. The H1Z1 devs must not only find a solution for the “full servers” that run with 200 players, but also for the smaller servers during non-peak times. That seems to still be an issue at the moment.
Zombies are still too dumb
Originally, the zombies in H1Z1 were intended to be “the great threat.” This was emphasized in every stream before: We are the zombie game with dangerous zombies. The game is designed around this idea, zombies should be a permanent danger that makes it difficult for players to “shoot at each other.” Without zombies: lots of kill-on-sight, much player-killing, a lot of overkill with wasted ammunition and more of a “shooter” than a survival simulation.
However, the server frame rate is a problem. There is not enough “brainpower” for the zombies. Thus, instead of becoming a ferocious beast, the zombie becomes a mere pole. This changes the dynamics of the game. Work is being done on these problems. Only once they are solved will there be real zombie hordes.
Here too, it shows: after a server down, players rave about the voracious, dangerous hordes and how much more exciting the game becomes because of it. Having this state permanently would please many and solve some subsequent problems.
Player structures block loot, are too easy to break
Another major feature is the player structures, small enclosures that gamers can build in the world. From the beginning, they offered too little protection, were too easy to break and raid. Players stacked various items on top of each other and used them as a ladder for entry.
At the moment, there is another problem: players use structures to “block loot,” such as building them in police stations or supermarkets, thereby blocking other players’ access.
Even if they have quite amusing effects:
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These player structures are a complex system into which a lot of work and brainpower will likely need to be invested during development. Moreover, they create static elements in a sandbox. But it is exactly these basebuilding elements that can set H1Z1 apart from the competition. Surely, player structures will be the element that the developers will have to deal with the longest.
What do you think? Do you see these as the three biggest problems? Or are there other issues that you want to see addressed more urgently?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Most monster players avoid this ability due to the immobility; I personally consider it underestimated. It is just too much fun to never select it – but it is definitely not for beginners.
Leap Smash
The monster jumps to a target area, causing damage upon impact and knocking back all affected hunters. For opponents, it is often hard to tell whether you are executing a “normal” jump or this attack.
It is excellent for starting a fight but can also be used to escape – just use it like one of your normal jumps to quickly cover a large distance.
Fire Breath
What would a nasty monster be without fire breath? Boring, right?
The damage of this attack is not outstanding, but the attack comes with several other advantages. On one hand, the fire obscures a significant portion of the view and can disorient the hunters. Then, the affected targets continue to burn for several seconds, suffering from a dot effect. However, the most useful aspect is that fire breath reveals cloaked enemies! Because even if the hunters activate their cloaking – you still see the flames on their bodies.What many do not know: During fire breath, you can use all other abilities! So you do not have to wait; just continue to pummel your enemies. Especially in combination with “Charge”, you can often take out several hunters in seconds.
Charge
Goliath charges forward, causing damage and knocking back all affected hunters.
This ability is absolutely worth its weight in gold. With it, individual hunters can be separated from the group. This is particularly useful when the Support Hank is protecting someone with the shield stream – just carry the affected away, and he is defenseless against your attacks.
It works especially well when you toss enemies over a cliff with “Charge” and then dive down on them with the “Leap Smash” from above – that knocks most hunters off their feet.
Always remember that you can also use “Charge” as a traveling ability to quickly cover a large distance. Use it to save some of your jumps for more important situations.
Special Tips to Conclude
The Fight Against Lazarus
If there’s a Lazarus on the enemy team, then he is your most important target! Normally, killed hunters only return to the game after 2 minutes with the drop ship, but Lazarus can bring them back from the dead. As if that wasn’t bad enough, the respective hunters do not even have reduced HP.
In summary: As long as Lazarus is alive, you can inflict no permanent damage on the hunters. Bring him down, keep your fire breath active on him (as he has a personal cloak), and wait for the hunters to help him – then rush back in and finish him off again. A Lazarus with 2 “strikes” (i.e., 2x reduced maximum HP) can be killed with a single leap smash.
If that is no option, just make sure to immediately devour killed hunters – because Lazarus can only revive them if the corpses are still intact.
Setting a False Trail
Especially at the beginning, it is important to confuse the hunters. A false trail can be laid quickly: Take a few steps in one direction, then switch to stealth mode, turn around bluntly, and follow a different path. The hunters will hardly know what to do now.
Of course, your opponents also learn over time, so sometimes you should bluff and just walk along the first way in stealth mode. It’s purely a psychological game – unless the hunters have Daisy with them, then save yourself the trouble. Daisy always sniffs out your direction, regardless of stealth. If you want, you can also draw funny messages on the ground with your tracks, like an arrow in the direction where the monster is waiting (most hunters never believe that anyway – and then go in a different direction).
Be Nice to Birds!
Birds are primarily annoying. You often startle them accidentally, or they appear when you’ve just devoured a tasty wild animal. They immediately inform the hunters of where the monster is. Use that to confuse them! If a flock has been startled, sprint in one direction and startle a second flock.
The hunters will usually draw an imaginary line between the first flock and the second to guess in which direction the monster is moving. If the monster turns back (i.e., moves toward the first flock), you can often avoid an encounter.
HELP! I’m Stage 1 and in the Dome!
Don’t throw in the towel! Look around. Which area is exactly affected by the dome? Are there bushes or other hiding spots nearby? Can you walk around pillars? Especially important: Do the hunters definitely know they have trapped you? Often it is not so clear with a “small” stage-1 monster.
You would laugh at how often during the beta I simply stood in a bush and waited. Those who do not believe it can check out this video (the first 2 minutes are enough):
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If you can’t avoid a fight, then find the Trapper. Bring him down at all costs! Once he is on the ground, the dome collapses upon itself, and you should flee.
Priorities in Combat
During the fight, always know who poses the greatest threat, so here’s this simple calculation: The Assault deals 50% of the damage, Support 25%, Medic and Trapper each 12.5%.
For the monster: If you do not give the Assault a moment’s peace and he never gets the chance to unload his weapons on you, you will easily survive most fights in Phase 2 and 3. If the Assault is dead, do not hesitate to hunt the remaining hunters (except in Stage 1). If the Support also falls, they effectively deal no damage.
So… I hope the guide has been enjoyable for all readers. It has turned out to be a bit longer than initially planned, but I have covered a lot of gaming situations. Critiques, suggestions, and opinions are welcome in the comments. Oh, and compliments. I love compliments. Bring it on. Have fun destroying the hunters!
After dedicating our last guide to the 4 starter hunters of the last guide from Evolve, we will now cover the first monster, Goliath, and provide valuable tips to ensure you emerge victorious after a short acclimatization period.
Since playing the monsters requires much more attention than playing the individual hunters, it will be a bit more extensive. It is, of course, not possible to include all tactics and strategies here – feel free to add your own ideas in the comments. As before, all points here are not set in stone.
There are certainly ways to play this monster better, but the following Goliath guide should be a significant help for newcomers.
Basics of the Monster
Currently, Goliath is the monster with the most health points and the highest mobility. All his abilities are based on power, sheer brutality, and require no greater understanding, but I will still list a few tricks.
The Stealth Mode
By pressing the CTRL key, you enter stealth mode. The monster moves significantly slower but leaves no footprints! This takes away one of the hunters’ tracking options. Birds will not be startled unless you walk right through them.
At the same time, you can perform stealth attacks: Hold down the left mouse button and look around. Once a red glow appears around your target, release the button. The target will be attacked and hit until it either dies or Goliath takes damage. The target cannot defend itself! A perfect way to kill lone hunters or quickly and cleanly take down creatures to then gorge yourself on.
Use stealth mode wisely! Those who always sneak around will never be able to build up enough distance, and those who never sneak give the hunters too many clues as to where to move.
Smelling
The “Smell” function (right mouse button) is your radar. Within a 50-meter radius, ALL creatures will be displayed – even the hunters! You can see them even through walls. Use the function as often as possible. There is practically no reason not to constantly sniff and scan the surroundings. However, note that cloaked hunters will not be displayed – but their footprints will be (please do not question this logic…).
There is only one situation where you should not be constantly sniffing: Goliath wants to hide and hopes that the hunters will walk past him. Sniffing indeed produces a very distinctive sound that can also be heard by the hunters.
Tips for Stage 1
Recommended point distribution: 1 each in Leap Smash, Fire Breath, and Charge
At the beginning of a “Hunt” round, you are weak. The hunters are mercilessly superior to you, so do not give yourself the illusion of being able to win a fight.
You have about 20 seconds of head start before the hunters land on the map – use this time to cover a lot of ground! Particularly with your jumps, you can bridge huge distances, make good use of that.
And then it’s: Eat, Smell, Eat, Smell.The only goal is to evade the hunters and reach Stage 2.
Fortunately, this process is quite fast; after about 2 minutes, you should be able to evolve Goliath, often even before the hunters know which direction you fled.
Tips for Stage 2
Recommended point distribution: 2 in Leap Smash, 1 in Charge
From now on, the fun begins. As you evolve, the hunters will know exactly where Goliath is located because the evolution roar can be heard across the entire map.
Devour new armor as quickly as possible; it is completely lost when evolving. Then you have to make a decision: Do you want to fight the hunters or keep devouring until you reach Stage 3?
If you want to fight: Lure the hunters to a location that is advantageous for you! A narrow cave where no one can avoid with the jetpack, or a very rocky environment where you can push the hunters around. Startle a few birds or draw attention to yourself in other ways. You do not necessarily have to win in this phase of the game, but it can be worthwhile to take down the hunters a few times so that your maximum HP value is reduced.
If the battle luck turns against you, just flee and eat until you reach Stage 3.
Tips for Stage 3
Recommended point distribution: 2 in Fire Breath, 1 in Charge
Congratulations, you are virtually unstoppable. Regain your armor and dive into the hunters. If you have already inflicted a few strikes on them during the game, you should easily be able to win as they will all die from a fire breath-charge combo.
Alternatively, you can now attack the map’s generator – it takes about 30 seconds, is interrupted by damage (but your progress on the generator remains) and makes the monster player the immediate winner upon success. As long as you have armor, you no longer have to fear the hunters.
Goliath is the king of close combat – show that to the hunters and squeeze the life out of their bodies.
The Abilities in Detail:
Rock Throw
Goliath reaches into the ground and pulls out a rock, which he can then throw in a direction of his choice. The ability has a whole range of advantages but also significant disadvantages.
Let’s start with the negative aspects: While he tears the rock from the ground, Goliath cannot move. Although it only takes less than 2 seconds, that can be enough to cause you exactly the damage that ruins victory. So use the rock only if you are sure you can handle the 2 seconds!Now for the advantages: You can hold the rock as long as you want. As long as you keep the “1” button pressed, the Goliath is ready to throw. This is excellent for preparing an ambush. You see the hunters turning a corner towards you? Want to engage them in battle?
Wait with the rock in hand and greet them with a stone in their surprised faces! Additionally, you can also wonderfully bring down hunters from the air who think they are safe with the jetpack. If one hunter wants to assist another and you do not arrive in time? Send a rock flying and with a bit of luck, they will both be lying on the ground.
Most monster players avoid this ability due to the immobility; I personally consider it underestimated. It is just too much fun to never select it – but it is definitely not for beginners.
Leap Smash
The monster jumps to a target area, causing damage upon impact and knocking back all affected hunters. For opponents, it is often hard to tell whether you are executing a “normal” jump or this attack.
It is excellent for starting a fight but can also be used to escape – just use it like one of your normal jumps to quickly cover a large distance.
Fire Breath
What would a nasty monster be without fire breath? Boring, right?
The damage of this attack is not outstanding, but the attack comes with several other advantages. On one hand, the fire obscures a significant portion of the view and can disorient the hunters. Then, the affected targets continue to burn for several seconds, suffering from a dot effect. However, the most useful aspect is that fire breath reveals cloaked enemies! Because even if the hunters activate their cloaking – you still see the flames on their bodies.What many do not know: During fire breath, you can use all other abilities! So you do not have to wait; just continue to pummel your enemies. Especially in combination with “Charge”, you can often take out several hunters in seconds.
Charge
Goliath charges forward, causing damage and knocking back all affected hunters.
This ability is absolutely worth its weight in gold. With it, individual hunters can be separated from the group. This is particularly useful when the Support Hank is protecting someone with the shield stream – just carry the affected away, and he is defenseless against your attacks.
It works especially well when you toss enemies over a cliff with “Charge” and then dive down on them with the “Leap Smash” from above – that knocks most hunters off their feet.
Always remember that you can also use “Charge” as a traveling ability to quickly cover a large distance. Use it to save some of your jumps for more important situations.
Special Tips to Conclude
The Fight Against Lazarus
If there’s a Lazarus on the enemy team, then he is your most important target! Normally, killed hunters only return to the game after 2 minutes with the drop ship, but Lazarus can bring them back from the dead. As if that wasn’t bad enough, the respective hunters do not even have reduced HP.
In summary: As long as Lazarus is alive, you can inflict no permanent damage on the hunters. Bring him down, keep your fire breath active on him (as he has a personal cloak), and wait for the hunters to help him – then rush back in and finish him off again. A Lazarus with 2 “strikes” (i.e., 2x reduced maximum HP) can be killed with a single leap smash.
If that is no option, just make sure to immediately devour killed hunters – because Lazarus can only revive them if the corpses are still intact.
Setting a False Trail
Especially at the beginning, it is important to confuse the hunters. A false trail can be laid quickly: Take a few steps in one direction, then switch to stealth mode, turn around bluntly, and follow a different path. The hunters will hardly know what to do now.
Of course, your opponents also learn over time, so sometimes you should bluff and just walk along the first way in stealth mode. It’s purely a psychological game – unless the hunters have Daisy with them, then save yourself the trouble. Daisy always sniffs out your direction, regardless of stealth. If you want, you can also draw funny messages on the ground with your tracks, like an arrow in the direction where the monster is waiting (most hunters never believe that anyway – and then go in a different direction).
Be Nice to Birds!
Birds are primarily annoying. You often startle them accidentally, or they appear when you’ve just devoured a tasty wild animal. They immediately inform the hunters of where the monster is. Use that to confuse them! If a flock has been startled, sprint in one direction and startle a second flock.
The hunters will usually draw an imaginary line between the first flock and the second to guess in which direction the monster is moving. If the monster turns back (i.e., moves toward the first flock), you can often avoid an encounter.
HELP! I’m Stage 1 and in the Dome!
Don’t throw in the towel! Look around. Which area is exactly affected by the dome? Are there bushes or other hiding spots nearby? Can you walk around pillars? Especially important: Do the hunters definitely know they have trapped you? Often it is not so clear with a “small” stage-1 monster.
You would laugh at how often during the beta I simply stood in a bush and waited. Those who do not believe it can check out this video (the first 2 minutes are enough):
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If you can’t avoid a fight, then find the Trapper. Bring him down at all costs! Once he is on the ground, the dome collapses upon itself, and you should flee.
Priorities in Combat
During the fight, always know who poses the greatest threat, so here’s this simple calculation: The Assault deals 50% of the damage, Support 25%, Medic and Trapper each 12.5%.
For the monster: If you do not give the Assault a moment’s peace and he never gets the chance to unload his weapons on you, you will easily survive most fights in Phase 2 and 3. If the Assault is dead, do not hesitate to hunt the remaining hunters (except in Stage 1). If the Support also falls, they effectively deal no damage.
So… I hope the guide has been enjoyable for all readers. It has turned out to be a bit longer than initially planned, but I have covered a lot of gaming situations. Critiques, suggestions, and opinions are welcome in the comments. Oh, and compliments. I love compliments. Bring it on. Have fun destroying the hunters!
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
For Blizzard’s online card game Hearthstone a biting Honest Trailer has been released.
The Honest Trailers have become an institution on YouTube. The narrator always dives into a topic and gleefully fillets it, pointing out its absurdities and peculiarities. He uses the bombastic aesthetics of hype trailers and the typical “In a land” style of delivering a trailer.
This time it’s Blizzard’s Hearthstone: The game where you spend hours building your own deck that perfectly fits your playstyle… and then you play it until you want to win, then you just copy a working deck from reddit. Also amusing is the depiction of the different types of streamers and what they do all day: act like a contestant on “The Price is Right” (Amaz), complain (Reynad), or just do nothing (Trump).
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The hardest raid in Destiny, Crota’s End (Hard), has now been completed in 14 minutes and 42 seconds. We have the video for it.
“I can’t even do it on normal, and you guys did it in under 15 minutes after we spent 6 hours in yesterday.”
“We wiped on Crota 6 times yesterday and you guys did it so quickly.”
“And I was proud that our raids are over in under an hour.”
Those were roughly the reactions to the Destiny video in which Guardians showcase their “speed record” from the Crota run.
Raid group in Destiny is experienced
But this is really impressive. You can see in the video that it’s not about looking good, but about going fast. The goal is always – without regard for losses – to reach the next checkpoint, everyone knows exactly what to do, and each fulfills their role in Destiny with precision.
It’s often not very elegant, but damn effective. And when the next checkpoint is reached, they might send the survivor into the water to shoot themselves. This is, for some unknown reason, possible in Destiny: Anyone standing in the water can shoot themselves.
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Light Double Jump and heavy ammo trick during the speed record in Crota’s End
A “world record” in that sense is not because some players have utilized “cheese”, exploiting game mechanics that are not intended. In speed runs, that is generally okay by common gaming etiquette, but not for “world records”. However, nothing too severe happens, no one pulls a cable or anything.
For example, if you’re wondering why they suddenly switch to “No Land Beyond” and seemingly empties the magazines for no reason: That’s a “trick” that players use to ensure that a lot of heavy ammo drops.
In a video by ProNDC, this is explained:
http://youtu.be/naVaV-VyeX8
And even in the lamp section, the players took a little “exploit”, as they also write.
At the end of the video, the winners discuss how it all went. “Perfect, perfect, that was perfect,” shouts one.
The other: “No one will beat this. Who can beat this?”
And the third is a perfectionist and says: “We can definitely be 10 seconds faster.”
Here is another video of the run from another player’s perspective:
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Sandpark-MMO ArcheAge emphasizes its Korean roots for Valentine’s Day and brings players a pet, the Naranya Plushie Pet.
We simply have to show you the new Valentine’s Day pet in ArcheAge. It’s kind of … a meme brought to life. According to Trion Worlds, this plush toy will unlock new “cute” emotes as it levels up.
The pet is available in a new shop package for 3,550 credits (about 15-18€, depending on the credit package), along with a “White Romance Table,” which also includes a romantic emote, and a customization for the glider, “Ruby Wings.”
Also new in the shop: A single-seater rowboat with a barrel of rum. According to Trion Worlds, the perfect opportunity for romance skeptics to escape all the cuddling in ArcheAge.
At Destiny, Bungie employees have been sighted and observed again in the Tower. They were wearing old “The Vault of Glass” raid gear with a light level of 42, weapons that go up to 365 damage, and a Sparrow that hints at the Trials of Osiris event.
Trials of Osiris Sparrow
This has happened before, and every time it feels like a Yeti sighting: For a brief moment, a Guardian catches sight of a “test” account, snaps pictures like crazy, and later what is captured is analyzed and dissected by a thousand pairs of eyes. Because these test accounts have items that are not yet available in Destiny.
Right at the beginning, at the release, Guardians were already seen above level 20 (which was insane back then). Before the release of “Darkness Awaits,” Dr. Crispy, with new raid gear, stumbled through the forums as a kind of promotional gag, and now Bungie employees have been discovered in the Tower and managed to be seen briefly – this must point to the next DLC House of Wolves and what armor and weapon strengths to expect in Destiny: http://youtu.be/7_79Wt7TxeE
What the mysterious figures in Destiny were wearing
They had:
old raid gear from the raid “The Vault of Glass” with a light level of 42. This is probably the new theoretical maximum in “House of Wolves,” allowing a level of 34 to be reached. But of all things at the “old” VoG raid, which Bungie says is frozen in time?
Users on reddit are discussing and talking themselves into a frenzy. What does this mean? There are two theories:
Theory 1: These are Bungie testers, and they are really testing these new items, which will be added to the game. We will get old raid gear with a light level of 42, the old raids count again and Trials of Osiris is starting soon.
Theory 2: These are Bungie testers, but they are only wearing placeholder items and what is seen there has no impact on how it will actually be; instead, testers want to test items that have not yet been implemented in a live environment, and adjust their old gear accordingly.
Our friends at ProNDC are dealing with this sighting.
http://youtu.be/LrMSNAU0cOE
Mysterious, although one probably shouldn’t read too much into it. What do you think?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The first three maps have been introduced with artwork in Overwatch.
Ah, it’s a bit like in a Bond film. In London, red buses drive, in Egypt there’s no Arab Spring, but the Sphinx, and in Japan they don’t worry about Fukushima, the economic crisis or the Yakuza, but there are cherry blossoms.
The world is fine in Overwatch, the new shooter from Blizzard. It doesn’t take place in a fantasy world, but in the future of our Earth, well, “future” and “our.”
We have images of the artwork of the three maps for you, which already give a taste of the aesthetics that Blizzard envisions here.
Hanamura will be the map in Japan. It’s a “remote retreat” far from the hustle and bustle of the technized metropolis. It is played here in the well-known point control mode. Known to Blizzard veterans as “At least we have the stables!”-Arathi Basin.
The Temple of Anubis in Egypt serves as the backdrop for the second control map in Overwatch. Players fight for control of the temple and there are “secrets” lurking here.
In terms of game mode, King’s Row in London stands out. In “payload escort mode,” one team must try to get the “payload” to a destination. The other team must try to prevent it.
Blizzard’s online card game Hearthstone now has 25 million registered accounts and recorded its highest revenue month in December. However, the port to the iPhone is still missing, which many have high hopes for.
Reason for success 1: Hearthstone came to the tablet.
20 million registered players – that was the last number heard from Blizzard in September. It has now risen to 25 million. Thanks to the expansion “Goblins vs Gnomes” and the release for Android tablets, December 2014 was the strongest month for Hearthstone so far.
Reason for success 2: Goblins vs Gnomes.
Together with Destiny, the other new franchise at Activision, Hearthstone has generated 850 million USD.
In 2015, more Hearthstone content is expected, including new expansions and adventures. The port for the iPhones and Android phones is also still pending. Blizzard expects a lot from this.
And they are also winning awards
And as a bonus: At the DICE Awards in Vegas, a kind of video game Oscar, they also won the award for the best Mobile Game and the best Strategy/Simulation Game of the year on Thursday night.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The cheerful monster hunt has not yet begun and already there is a warning: Right at the launch of Evolve there will be a patch that will consist of approximately 3 GB.
Balancing – Wraith and Medic Nerfed
Although the balancing was more than satisfactory overall, there were still some minor inconsistencies that they want to change in time for the launch to provide all players with the best possible experience. Even if there are no official patch notes yet, some adjustments to the monster “Wraith” have likely been made. The medic Lazarus has also likely fallen victim to the nerf bat. Both were too often victorious in the beta and will probably have to accept an increase in their cooldowns.
Miscellaneous – Mobile Game, Bug Fixes and Elite Skins
In order to properly establish the connection with the new mobile game “Evolve: Hunters Quest“, it also requires new files in the main game. Lastly, they are of course fixing the recent bugs: Monsters and players should no longer be able to fall through the ground of a map and some gravitational effects have been normalized (Farewell, my flying Goliath, you crown of creation!).
The new elite skins will also make their way into the game and are now ready for release – the first version had been criticized for not differing enough from the normal skins.
The patch will unfortunately only be available on the release day – this also means that not all players will start the game simultaneously. Perhaps not such an unwise move to keep the server requests at a manageable level?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
With the upcoming Guild Wars 2 expansion “Heart of Thorns” there will be a new element dedicated to character progression after level 80: the mastery system. We have summarized what exactly changes for veterans and how it is supposed to enhance your gameplay experience.
From level 80: XP for mastery paths
Once your character reaches level 80, the experience bar automatically transforms into the mastery bar. All XP gained from this point onward contributes to your current mastery path. If you are wondering: Yes, there will be no more skill points for “leveling after 80”; these will be obtainable through other endgame content.
How do I obtain mastery paths?
The various paths must first be unlocked with corresponding points. You can earn these points before level 80 (by fully uncovering some maps or solving jumping puzzles), but you can only spend them at max level. Depending on which path you wish to unlock, it costs a varying number of points. It is also important that all masteries apply to your entire account – this also applies to the required points.
So if your main character has already uncovered all maps, you don’t need to do this with a twink; the mastery points will only be credited once.
All well and good – what does the mastery system bring?
Depending on which path you have currently selected, there are new abilities available. With enough progress in the “Exploration Path,” you can summon a glider and soar through the air for a few seconds or save yourself from lethal fall damage. While the glider initially lasts only a few moments and can only be used for downward movement, it becomes better with increasing mastery levels and can (for some moments) be used like a real flying mount. This will grant access to new locations. If you invest in the “Story” path, you can learn the languages of new allies, unlock hidden locations in their areas, or learn some combat techniques from these friends.
Whether the system feels as good as it reads in theory remains to be seen. You can find the original announcement with more details (and often the word “mastery”) on the official website guildwars2.com.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Destiny, a fan proposal finds favor with the team: to award titles for extraordinary achievements or accomplishments.
Anyone who logs into any MMO and kills 5 rats in a row gets a title. They can take it and wear it like a badge, displayed above their head, so that other players can instantly recognize what they have accomplished. This has been the case for years, roughly since the rise of the “Achievement” or “Success” system which flooded titles into the games.
There are already achievements in Destiny (the Grimoire points) – so why not titles as well? A fan on reddit suggested:
For killing 30,000 Dregs, the title Dreg-Slayer!
For 50 hard mode kills in a row – the title Epic Raider!
Killed Crota 10 times with a sword – Swordbearer!
Bungie likes the idea
A corresponding thread quickly gained attention on reddit, and fans came up with more suggestions. One suggested that after 5,000 deaths in the raid, the title “Flawless Raider” could be awarded, a nod to the coveted Playstation trophy.
Well, such threads appear more often on reddit, but this time particularly: Destiny’s community manager DeeJ showed up there and said: He likes these ideas. And he knows that some who could make these ideas reality like them.
Anyone who knows DeeJ and his rhetoric knows: This is about the most binding thing he has said in months. Normally, the maximum response from the community manager is: “Great! I will bring it up.”
So why not?
One can assume that player titles are something that Bungie has already discussed internally and likely approved. There’s hardly any reason why this “typical MMO idea” to motivate players should be missing, especially when the success system is already in the game. Well, it’s not carved in stone yet, but it wouldn’t be surprising if player titles might come to Destiny with Comet in September.
For the creators of Evolve, testing and ratings are important as they boost sales. The pre-sales look optimistic.
The asymmetric team shooter Evolve is already in the hot phase. And a hit is shaping up, as Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick says in an interview: “It’s going well. Usually, you get a sense of how things are shortly before release. Of course, we see the pre-sales numbers. It’s very positive.”
For Zelnick, reviews and the ratings at the end are important, as customers pay attention to them. It’s not like with movies. A mediocre comedy can still make revenue, but with games that have mediocre ratings, it’s different.
http://youtu.be/zlaPT08Tmxc
Prices and critics’ opinions are much more important for games than for films. A film can win the Palme d’Or and it would have hardly any impact on sales. However, a GTA 5, which scored 97% on Meta-Critic, is also a real bestseller: “Players care about that. They care about ratings, they read the reviews, they value the awards. Players want quality.”
With the first tests for Evolve to expect on Monday morning our time. The game will be released on Tuesday, February 10, for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The fantasy MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV aims to develop content even faster and switch to annual updates.
The head of Final Fantasy XIV, Naoki Yoshida, gave an interview in Japanese that has received a lot of attention and has been summarized by fans in English. The central statement is that the foundation has been laid to really get started. New game content is set to arrive even faster in the future. This fits with today’s times.
The upcoming expansion “Heavensward” will be released approximately one year and 9 months after the game’s launch. Yoshida has not yet provided a specific date. For the next expansion 4.0, they aim to stick to a one-year timeline.
The three new classes in Heavensward:
Add-Ons like Blockbusters
Between these expansions, larger patches will be released every 3 months, bringing new game content. Between these larger patches, there will be two or three smaller updates.
The add-ons of Final Fantasy XIV should feel like major “blockbusters,” like a new world, similar to “WoW.”
The content up to 3.5, that is, well into Heavensward, is already prepared and planned.
Mein MMO thinks: These are the two magical words every MMO fan dreams of hearing: “More content.” So far, Final Fantasy XIV has managed to do the seemingly impossible: revive a dead game and repair a botched first impression.
If anyone can achieve this milestone of “one full expansion per year” in today’s times, it is probably Yoshida and his team. Games from earlier generations managed to do this too, but industry giant World of Warcraft, for instance, has been struggling for at least 6 years to stay on schedule. And ugly content droughts are the result. So far, hardly anyone has complained about something like this in FF XIV. With an annual expansion, if it indeed is as extensive as suggested here, the future of Final Fantasy XIV looks bright.
The lead designer of World of Warcraft now gives tips on how guilds should approach the new raid, the Blackrock Foundry. The order in which you tackle the bosses of the Blackrock Foundry is important.
Regarding the new raid “Blackrock Foundry”, there is a bit of stress in the US forum of World of Warcraft. Is it currently “overtuned” or “undertuned”? Too hard or too easy, is being discussed. This brought WoW lead designer Ion Hazzikostas to the forefront, who explained the Blackrock Foundry.
Wing raid like Naxxramas
It is a “wing” raid, like Naxxramas back in the day. This requires a change in mindset for players. The bosses become harder “within” their wings. If you suddenly face the Crucible Collective after Gruul and the Ironcrusher, you might feel overwhelmed. This is because you would jump from boss 1-3 directly to boss 7. It would be better to switch wings and continue elsewhere.
The first bosses like Gruul or Darmac are entry bosses. You might want to save the “wing bosses” for later.
The early bosses of other wings will offer a more suitable challenge, and will offer valuable item upgrades to help prepare you for the end bosses of each wing, and of course for Blackhand himself.
Fruit of the fallen.
Designed as a complement to Highmaul, not as a replacement
And for players who find the Blackrock Foundry raid too easy, the lead designer also has an answer: The raid actually belongs to the first raid tier, so it is practically on par with Highmaul.
Here, they are still experimenting with a proper strategy. For Cataclysm, all raids of a tier were launched at the same time, which overwhelmed players; they were inundated with content. In Mists of Pandaria, they waited a month with the raid “Heart of Fear”. This also gave some players the impression: Blizzard is rushing us, we are too slow.
Now they waited two months, and players are starting to feel: This is a new raid tier. And the raid seems too easy, especially because players had such a long time to farm a raid at a similar level.
At Blizzard, they design the raid with players in mind who can typically defeat about one or two “new” bosses per week while collecting better gear.
Intense.
Blackhand tough nut, only eight guilds have killed him on HC
A bit overtuned, Hazzikostas admits that the final boss Blackhand is probably the toughest at the moment. But only a bit! He is supposed to be hard.
At the moment (7.2.; 9:45) eight guilds have defeated Blackhand on HC worldwide. The Chinese guild Style War was the first in the world.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The MMO shooter Destiny had a strong weekend. At DICE, a sort of Oscar for games, there were four awards, including the one for best Action Game. In Activision’s financial report, Destiny was the star.
While we complain, Bungie humbly bows
While the fans are currently forming resistance in forums against the Weekly Update (“What?! No new DLC in March?”) and the new weapon changes didn’t exactly go down well (“The Necrochasm is already so weak!” “Great, I finally have a good weapon and they’re nerfing it already!”), while all this was happening, Destiny simultaneously racked up four trophies at the gaming Oscars “DICE” in Vegas and shone in Activision’s annual report with huge numbers.
It’s going well for you, Destiny!
Four DICE Awards for Action, Sound, Music, and Online
Thus, there was the award for the best Action Game of the year against Call of Duty, Titanfall, Farcry, and Wolfenstein. Destiny also won the award for the best online experience. Additionally, it snatched awards again for the best music and the best sound effects.
Four awards for Destiny. Not bad. The other big winner in the “technical categories” was “Shadow of Mordor”, which emptied out all the minor categories like the Oscars 2004 did with the movie The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. The actual winner, the ultimate Game of the Year, was Dragon Age: Inquisition.
The DICE conference is an event in the video game industry in Vegas. The award ceremony generally receives a lot of attention.
Destiny also shone in Activision’s annual report. While there were no awards, there were impressive numbers. Destiny has gathered 16 million registered players since launch, it was revealed. The still active Destiny players (no number was provided here) spend three hours with the game each day.
Destiny, along with Hearthstone , generated 850 million US dollars.
Destiny is seen as a valuable new franchise in the team and they are very satisfied with the launch.
Mein MMO says:When it comes to the player counts, one has to be a bit careful, as always when numbers are mentioned. They talk about “registered accounts”, which might also count players who only played the demo, and not all 16 million are still active and playing. Nevertheless, impressive numbers. Especially the three hours a day are of course amazing.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
