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.
Game developer Wargaming is changing course with its naval combat MMO World of Warships and is now presenting a pure gameplay video instead of cinematics. Is this a sign that they are picking up speed with the latest Free2Play offshoot and are swimming full speed ahead towards release?
After World of Tanks and World of Warplanes, they are setting sail with World of Warships for the first time. With battleships, aircraft carriers and fighter planes, the navy covers another chapter in warfare. After tanks and planes, this was the next logical step to further solidify their dominance in war simulations. Wargaming is considered the market leader in this specific niche.
But when will World of Warships be released? There is no official release date yet, but the number of beta participants is steadily increasing. This is often an indication in the industry that the game is gradually maturing for a wider audience and that the release date is not far off.
Just last week, over 50,000 players participated worldwide in a beta weekend, as Wargaming visualized in an infographic. This was the first major event after the maiden voyage at Gamescom. In the official forums, players who participated in these naval battles are speaking of a fairly well-developed beta version. Release estimates range from the 3rd quarter of 2015 to early 2016. In a Q&A stream, a developer assured that they are planning a release in 2015.
The survival MMO H1Z1 plans to change the rendering and lighting system. This will create differentiated lighting changes and generally more impressive graphics.
Yes, somehow fitting to the name. Since it changed from SOE to “Daybreak Gaming Company”, they seem to place greater value on cohesive lighting conditions. The H1Z1 team at DGC has announced that they will work on the lighting conditions of H1Z1.
For this, they present some impressive “before/after” images. Currently, they are working on implementing this. No information about a timeline has been given yet.
The fantasy MMORPG The Elder Scrolls Online explained the processes by which PC players can switch their character to the consoles Playstation 4 or Xbox One.
Last summer there was quite a stir. The console version of The Elder Scrolls Online was delayed by half a year . Later it was said indefinitely. Today we know: for a year.
In this tumultuous atmosphere, Zenimax made players an “immoral offer.” Console players could already purchase and play a version of The Elder Scrolls Online for PC. When the console version eventually comes out, they could convert their PC version to the new console version for a small fee and take their characters with them.
The details have been clarified by now.
Just a little wait …
One into two
Zenimax will contact all players with accounts that have “qualified for the transfer” before June and ask if they would like to take advantage of it.
All players who purchased The Elder Scrolls Online before June 30, 2014, and activated their account are qualified. The transfer fee is 14.99 euros.
The transfer will proceed in such a way that the existing characters and account progress on PC will be “copied” to a new account on Xbox One or Playstation 4. The “old” account will not be deleted but will remain active. These players will not have to purchase Tamriel Unlimited again on the console.
The accounts will remain separate. This means: one character will then become “two,” and both will continue to develop separately from that point on, if someone wants to play on both PC and console. This is similar to a transfer to the test server.
At the moment, it is still unclear whether any acquired DLCs on PC will be transferred to the new console account and, if so, whether they will remain on the “old” copy or not. For instance, crowns are not supposed to be transferred. Only the transfer of characters with their stats and the items they are wearing or have in the bank is guaranteed.
Furthermore, it is still unknown whether gold, bank, and inventory space will be taken to the console. Zenimax is still discussing this with Sony and Microsoft.
Mein MMO says: The absurdity will be that on the fresh mega-servers of the consoles, there will be plenty of characters at level 1 running around, alongside year-old “veterans”.
According to a recent study on the MMO genre, only 1 in 16 players remains with a free-to-play title over a one-year period.
Super-Data is a research institute that continuously provides exciting statistics on MMOs. They define the term MMO much broader than is normally customary, also including MOBAs like Dota 2 and LoL.
And another one gone – games consume players
The data obtained this time paints a severe picture for free-to-play titles. Of the players who enter the new world at release on day one, only half remain after a week. After a month, 80% are gone. Only one in five is still playing.
After six months, this number has halved again: then only about one in ten is still playing. After a full year, it drops to one in 16. Another six months more, and only one in 33 is still playing.
And these are the players who joined at launch, during the release month. Those who start later leave even sooner. For example, those who log into a free-to-play MMO for the first time a year after the release are 97% likely to be gone after a month.
After 2 years, free-to-play MMOs get more “loyal” customers
This trend of “the later you start, the sooner you stop” reverses only after two years. Then the “quality” of newcomers increases. Those who start in the free-to-play MMO now have heard about it from friends and are more likely to stay.
According to Super-Data, it can be concluded that a strong launch with a front-loaded advertising campaign is essential for a free-to-play MMO. The first month is also crucial. Free-to-play MMOs that manage to remain relevant even after two years can count on “valuable” new players who stay engaged longer.
Likely to also launch as a free-to-play title: The AAA-Korea-MMO Black Desert.
My MMO says:It can be assumed that there are likely significant differences between a triple-A free-to-play MMO and the many “smaller titles.” However, the strong monetization intentions of free-to-play games, especially at launch, can be explained: There are still plenty of players from whom money can be made. And with an investment in the game, the chance that players will stay is likely higher. After all, they want to earn a return on their investment.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The long-awaited game “Evolve” is just around the corner, and in a few days the official launch will finally kick off. So that you can dive straight into the first online matches, we’ve put together a guide to introduce you to the 4 starting hunters.
Before each match, you can choose what you would like to play, but there’s no guarantee for that. To ensure you perform well even in roles you may not prefer, you should keep reading!
First: The tips mentioned here mainly apply to the “Hunting” mode, but can largely be transferred to all other game modes – usually, only the aspect of monster hunting is omitted. Additionally, these tips are meant to be beginner’s aids. There are surely countless other ways to play the characters more effectively! However, for a somewhat successful start, this hunter guide should suffice.
General about the Hunters
No matter which of the four hunters you get assigned: You are a team! Your only and decisive advantage lies in your numbers! Never waste this circumstance by distancing yourself from the group and going off solo, no matter how “incompetent” you think your teammates are!
Individual hunters can jump on the monster and kill it without any possibility of resistance. If you really want to split up, make sure to always have at least one other teammate with you – otherwise, you’ll quickly become a victim of the monster or the environment.
All hunters have three different weapons or equipment items as well as a “special” ability with a relatively long cooldown.
Class: The Medic, Val
Quick guide, sorted by priority:
Revive downed teammates with the Medi-Gun
Slow and mark the monster with tranquilizer arrows
Target weak points with the sniper rifle
Heal allies
Although Val is the group’s medic, healing with the Medi-Gun is only a small part of your responsibilities. You should primarily use the Medi-Gun between encounters with the monster to keep your group alive, as healing during encounters is usually too minimal. While your sniper rifle sounds tempting, the damage is negligible – use it only to target weak points on the monster where your teammates can inflict additional wounds.
Most of the time, you will spend using the tranquilizer gun. This weapon doesn’t inflict damage, but it slows the monster down, making it move only very slowly. As if that weren’t cruel enough, you can even see the beast for a short time through walls while using it. Try to maintain the stun as long as possible; a permanently incapacitated monster has little chance to escape and is a much lesser threat.
Only when a teammate goes down should you switch to the Medi-Gun and try to revive him – ideally, coordinate with the support, when they protect the downed teammate with a shield, your friend will be back on his feet quickly. You should keep the healing burst (Key 4) on cooldown as soon as you take damage yourself – because without you, the team loses not only the healer, but also the incapacity of the monster becomes impossible.
Always position yourself on higher ground from where you can see the entire battlefield. When the monster climbs up to you, it usually exposes itself to your teammates’ line of fire, and you can escape using the jetpack.
Class: The Trapper, Maggie (and Daisy)
Quick guide, sorted by priority:
Trap the monster in the dome
Restrict the monster’s movement with harpoon mines
Inflict damage with the submachine gun
As Maggie, your main task is to track and hold the monster in one place. Instead of a third weapon, she has her snapping companion “Daisy,” who I will dedicate a separate section to below.
You should either cleverly place harpoon mines near other teammates or at a choke point through which the monster might escape, but never all in one place! The monster can destroy the mines with a single hit, but this won’t happen if they are spread out.
Like all trappers, you also have access to the “Dome”. Once activated, it captures all creatures in an artificial arena. Every being can enter the arena voluntarily, but cannot leave! If the monster is successfully trapped, stay alive at all costs! As soon as Maggie goes down, the dome collapses – making her the main target for every monster player. If the arena has not captured the monster, it can be manually dismantled by holding the “4” key long – but the cooldown is still active.
When the monster is trapped in the dome and all harpoon mines are placed, you can comfortably switch to the submachine gun and deal some damage. If there are weak points on the enemy, it’s best to use short, controlled bursts since the weapon has a massive recoil.
Daisy: Maggie’s “dog” is controlled by AI and cannot inflict any damage, yet she will decide many matches in favor of the hunters. If the hunters cannot find a trace of the monster, Daisy will point them in the correct direction. When she follows the monster’s trail, she has a yellow symbol over her head. Once the symbol turns red, the monster is sneaking nearby – exactly the right time for a dome!
Most of the time, it won’t help to follow Daisy blindly; sometimes you need to lead and guide her to startled birds so she can find a new trail. Aside from this behavior, Daisy counts as a full-fledged hunter: She can help injured hunters back on their feet, and even if all others have died – as long as Daisy lives, the hunters are still in the game.
Class: The Support, Hank
Quick guide, sorted by priority:
Protect teammates with the shield generator
Rescue allies with an orbital strike
Use group cloak to revive/escape
Deal damage with the laser cutter
Hank’s role as “Support” is relatively straightforward. With his shield generator, he can prevent all damage a hunter would suffer. The battery is limited, but begins to recharge in less than a second – so if you activate the shield at just the right moment, you can theoretically keep a single teammate safe from damage indefinitely – but be careful! A somewhat clever monster player will naturally trace the shield beam back to its source, and you cannot use it on yourself.
The orbital strike can be used defensively or offensively. If a teammate is down, you can force the monster to leave that player alone. If the monster’s movement is restricted (through traps or stuns), you can also use the orbital strike for offense. No weapon in the game inflicts more damage! If all the rockets hit their target, even a level 3 monster loses half its health.
When the situation seems hopeless, use the group cloak. In stealth mode, you can revive comrades or escape to bridge the last few seconds until the next ship arrives. Only when the monster is at a distance and all hunters are relatively safely positioned should you switch to the laser cutter with Hank. This weapon is incredibly precise and can inflict devastating damage on exposed weak points. However, damage is never more important than protecting teammates!
Class: The Assault, Markov
Quick guide, sorted by priority:
Place bow mines
Unload the lightning gun, switch to the submachine gun during cooldown
Markov is the Assault and thus the primary damage dealer of the group. As soon as the fight begins (ideally even before, if you can set it up), you should place all five bow mines – preferably near an important team member, such as the trapper or medic. The mines deal massive damage and can effectively keep a monster at bay or force it to disable the mines first.
Once you are at close range to the monster, switch to the lightning gun. It deals constant damage and doesn’t even need precise aiming; as long as you are roughly aiming at the monster, it inflicts damage. Important: The lightning gun does not benefit from weak points and headshots! If there are many weak points on the monster (or the battery of the lightning gun is depleted), you should immediately switch to the submachine gun and aim for headshots.
Save your personal shield generator (Key 4) for emergencies, as soon as you catch the monster’s attention or if it surprises you with a sneak attack. This often gives your teammates enough time to rescue you or allows you to inflict heavy damage on the enemy for a few more seconds.
Especially important: Do not desperately shoot at a distant monster that is fleeing! As long as the monster is considered “in combat,” it receives bonuses to its travel abilities – if you cannot deal significant damage, it is better not to inflict any!
Conclusion
I hope this little beginner’s guide has pleased you (it has turned out longer than planned) and helps some readers to have an easier start in the game. If you have criticism, suggestions, or additional tips for the individual hunters, please let me know.
If desired, I can also gladly write further guides, where I address specific game situations or take a closer look at the monsters. Let me know in the comments!
However, if you want to eat hunters instead, I can recommend another guide: The Goliath Guide.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Destiny, on Friday, February 6, the black market trader Xur arrives in the Tower and offers his exotic goods. What does he have for sale? Where is he?
Xur has developed a fascination for the DLC exotics in the last 5 weeks. He had DLC armor pieces with him 12 out of 15 possible times. Additionally, he has offered an exotic weapon from the DLC four times in the last 6 weeks. Since he can only offer two of them and they are both not that great, many Guardians are frustrated.
Now there was rather “bad” news for many yesterday in Destiny: the DLC House of Wolves will not arrive until April at the earliest, many expect it rather in May. “It’s about time that Bungie makes us happy with Xur,” many hope now. We will see. But remember: Xur is the guy who ruined Christmas with the No Land Beyond.
Hm … Tuna.
Absurd rumors about Xur circulating
A request: Rumors about Xur are now appearing more frequently – from some dubious sources. There have been “Bungie employees” holding Q&A sessions where they talked about Icebreaker or Gjallarhorn and when they will be available again and whether they will ever return. You should not pay attention to such rumors. Someone is playing with the credulity of people and their need for information about the mysterious and otherworldly.
You might as well believe a fortune teller who promises to contact your deceased cat Miezi. You could also ask us what Miezi thinks in the afterlife: about tuna. Cats always think about tuna.
Which brings us back to Xur.
Everything about Xur, the Agent of the Nine, on February 6, 7, and 8 in Destiny
When does Xur come and when does he leave again?
Xur will arrive on Friday, February 6, at 10:00 AM German time in the Tower and will disappear on Sunday, February 8, also at 10:00 AM.
Where is Xur, what is his position?
Xur is in the Hangar. Our friends from ProNDC have a video for you:
http://youtu.be/VjdQZLmoPZA
What is the meaning of the numbers in parentheses behind the armor?
These are the values in intellect, discipline, or strength that the respective item has. The first number is “naked”, the second, when the item is fully upgraded. We provide the numbers as exotic armors can reach different high values in Destiny, even if they are identical otherwise. You can learn more in this article.
What does Xur have for Titans, Hunters, Warlocks in Destiny?
As a weapon, Xur is selling this week the exotic fusion rifle Plan C for 17 strange coins.
For Hunters, he has the exotic DLC gloves “Don’t Touch Me”(104/111 – strong) with him.
For Warlocks, he is selling the exotic gloves “Sunbreaker.” (98/105)
For Titans, he has the helmet “The Glasshouse” (super strong 118/127) with him.
This week, he is selling a glove engram. Xur does not have any heavy ammo syntheses.
What can Xur upgrade in terms of armor and weapons this week?
Xur can upgrade “old” exotic weapons (up to damage value 300) and “old” exotic armors (up to light value 30) into the new variants, which can reach a damage value of 331 and a light value of 36. However, he wants a decent amount of Glimmer, the “old” version of the Exotic, and an exotic shard. You can find out more about upgrading in Destiny here. The Vex Mythoclast, by the way, cannot be upgraded.
He can upgrade the following exotic weapons this week:
The MMORPG World of Warcraft still had over 10 million paying customers at the end of December.
At Activision, there was the “Earning Call” to the investors, which keeps them updated on how things are going: And things are going well. World of Warcraft was also above the mark of 10 million paying players at the end of the last quarter, around New Year’s Eve.
This includes both subscribers and players in their free month, as well as gamers who have played for at least one hour in Asian internet cafes and paid for it in the last 30 days. So it’s not just “subscribers” in our sense that are included in the ten million. In an article, we dealt with this.
Warlords of Draenor sold 3.3 million copies in the first 24 hours and managed to retain many players.
Mike Morhaine from Blizzard calls the expansion Warlords of Draenor a great success and primarily attributes it to the 90 boost. This has brought many players back.
However, according to mmo-champion, a decline is expected in the coming months, as with previous expansions. It is assumed that it will be stronger in Asia than in the West.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The next patch for Destiny, Update 1.1.1 in February, will shake up the weapon balance. The shotgun will become stronger in PvE, while popular Crucible weapons like the auto rifle will lose power.
On Thursday, February 5th, the Weekly Update briefly mentioned the DLC House of Wolves House of Wolves. It will not be released until the second quarter of 2015.
The vast majority of new information in Destiny referred to a change in weapon balance. This necessity arose from the fact that players disproportionately preferred the auto rifle in the Crucible and rarely used the pulse rifle. In PvE, shotguns are at a disadvantage.
This is how the changes are envisioned for February. The “Sandbox Designer” Jon Weisnewski is in charge of it.
Trend: Downward.
Auto Rifle: Less Damage, Shorter Range
The auto rifle is currently too strong in the Crucible. 6 of the 10 deadliest weapons were auto rifles. This is not only true for the Suros, the queen in PvP.
The dominant position of auto rifles as a weapon for every occasion is something they want to change. Bungie is consequently nerfing auto rifles by 2.5% and reducing their effective range. The latter affects auto rifles with high range less, while those with shorter range will be affected more.
Trend: Strongly upward.
Pulse Rifle – Nearly 10% Stronger
The pulse rifle, on the other hand, was hardly used in PvP. It was the least used weapon type overall. In PvP, it was only used 2% of the time, and in PvE only 6%. The pulse rifle is planned as a solid weapon for mid-range that can do a bit of everything.
To ensure that the pulse rifle plays a larger role in the future, its damage will be increased by 9.7%.
Trend: Downward.
Hand Cannons – Weaker at Long Range
Hand cannons are seen by Bungie as a weapon for medium range in Destiny, which can be fired from the hip but has weaknesses in sustained fire. Currently, they compete in the distance with the intended long-range weapons, the scout rifle and the sniper rifle.
Therefore, their effective range is reduced, and follow-up shots are weakened, as they are now more difficult to place.
Trend: Constant, but different.
Fusion Rifle – Beam Wider, but Less Focused
Fusion rifles have a unique role in Destiny; they require players to play proactively and demonstrate good awareness. Guardians must ensure they remain undisturbed while charging.
The fusion beam will be spread wider with 1.1.1 and will be less focused, especially at long range. This should make single “sniper” kills rarer, while dealing more damage to tightly grouped enemies. In the Crucible, players will start with less ammunition.
Trend: Steeply upward.
Shotgun – Double Damage in PvE
The shotgun is the big winner in PvE, in the fight against monsters. Its damage will simply be doubled.Here, it was completely underrepresented before, practically not appearing in the wild at all.
However, it will be made a bit weaker at long range to prevent players from killing from afar in the Crucible. The shotgun should remain a pure close-range weapon in Destiny.
Ammo restrictions in the Crucible also apply to it.
And the rest? It remains
With the sniper rifle, scout rifle, and the two heavy weapons, the rocket launcher and the machine gun, they are satisfied and make no changes.
The 10 deadliest weapons in the Crucible – from the last 30 days.
The changes are set to arrive with patch 1.1.1. It will also fix the issues with heavy ammo and will be rolled out to the servers by the end of February.
Here is another impressive image from Destiny, illustrating the discrepancy in weapons that makes these changes necessary. This is how much percentage of kills top players in Destiny make in story missions (above) or in the Crucible (below) with four different weapon types:
Xur will arrive in the Tower of Destiny much earlier than the patch. Xur will be there on Friday, February 6th at 10:00 AM, and we will report on it.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Destiny, the DLC House of Wolves will no longer arrive in March, but rather in April, May, or June.
The Weekly Update was here and brought news. The release date for the second DLC “House of Wolves” is now set for the second quarter of 2015. This means it will come either in April, May, or June.
There are officially no further news about the DLC yet. They remain persistently silent. A dedicated team is working on the DLC, has planned surprises, but they don’t want to reveal anything yet, says Bungie. As the date approaches, details will be announced.
It is about involving players in the design decisions as well as giving the developers some breathing room and space for experimentation. The Weekly Update doesn’t say more.
The Backgrounds to the Destiny News
Mein MMO says: In a unconfirmed leak in early January, the game content of House of Wolves in Destiny was estimated to be roughly the same amount as in the last DLC “Darkness Falls”: a new raid, a new strike, a handful of new story missions.
The last DLC “Darkness Falls” was generally perceived as too thin for the price. The scope and direction of the DLC were heavily criticized by the press and players.
At the moment, some players are also wondering what they can still do until the next DLC in Destiny. When it was said at the beginning of the week that the next DLC wouldn’t come until May, it caused confusion. Especially since the competition will be stronger in May.
The sand park MMO ArcheAge claims to ban thousands of cheaters and hackers every day. They aim to combat inflation in the game by inviting crafters to craft.
In an interview with mmorpg.com, the new producer at the helm of ArcheAge, Mervin Lee Kwai, talks about cheaters and hackers. He refers to them as “Bad Actors” and reports that the fight against them is making progress in ArcheAge. They have developed better tools to track them down. They have now received better capabilities from Korean partner XLGames to log incidents.
It is Trion Worlds’ goal that no player is disadvantaged by hacks and cheats.
The devaluation of gold in ArcheAge
Kwai sees the second major problem as gold inflation in the game. This results from the fact that the most sought-after crafting materials are so rare that the corresponding items are hardly produced, making them incredibly expensive.
The solution: On one hand, they want to keep an eye on how much gold each server generates, and on the other hand, to curb gold selling. They also want to try other ways to introduce crafting materials.
The logic here is: Crafters can produce items more frequently, sell them cheaper, and this will improve the situation for everyone.
In Destiny, the voice acting of the flying AI Ghost by Peter Dinklage (“Game of Thrones”) is not exactly its strongest point. “What if we got Samuel L. Jackson to do it?” a Youtuber wonders in a humorous video.
Peter Dinklage, who played Tyrion in Game of Thrones, has had to endure a lot for his voice role as “Ghost.” He sounds somewhat disinterested. It’s the worst voice acting performance by a good actor since Bill Murray in the Ghostbusters game, points out the Honest Trailer. And generally, “Dinklebot,” as he is called, the companion of the hero who delivers exposition and endlessly opens doors, is not exactly a fan favorite.
But it might not necessarily be Peter Dinklage’s fault. The sentences and lines he is given do not lend themselves to great acting performances. Dinkle’s verbal eye-roll became infamous when he had to talk about a “wizard who came from the moon.” Bungie re-mixed it to be a bit more “enthusiastic”, but the reputation was cemented.
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It was not just the voice actor that was the problem, but also the texts. Both problems are now being tackled at once by the Youtuber t0nin0t. What if we used the best lines from Samuel L. Jackson’s movies (spoken by him) instead of the text of Dinklebot?
If you don’t know Jackson … here are some dialogues about Samuel L. Jackson (from the trailer for Ted 2): “Have you ever seen a movie?” “Yes.” “He was the Black one!”
In a swoop through Jackson’s long and diverse career, the creator of the video takes individual lines and places them in the right spots in Destiny’s story. Those familiar with Jackson’s work know this: It’s not always family-friendly.
Bungie gave a wink to the creator: While they can’t post it on the Twitter channel (family-friendly and all), they had a great laugh.
That Samuel Jackson video by @t0nin0t was hilarious but we can’t link to it in a Tweet because (you know) bad words and stuff. #m@#$%rf@#$%r
Blizzard’s new project Overwatch, a team shooter, is currently in Alpha. Initial reports are now surfacing.
PC Gamer shares their trip into the world of Overwatch. It confirms the impression one received from the game at Blizzcon: It is supposed to be a shooter for those who generally do not like shooters.
Just as Blizzard created a more accessible version of Magic: The Gathering with Hearthstone and a lighter version of Everquest with World of Warcraft, they now aim to tackle a new genre and apply known design principles. Blizzard’s designers want to make the team shooter appealing to a broader audience.
At the forefront is the aim to remove the “ugliness” and “mean-spiritedness” from the genre, Chris Metzen from Blizzard’s creative team is quoted. Everyone should feel like they can contribute to the victory without feeling like they’ve completely messed it up. It should be a positive experience. An experience for everyone. Never should metrics like the kill/death ratio matter.
They will approach the shooter genre with humility. They know how much PC gamers love it.
Overwatch: Design Goals and Ideas
Overwatch should be accessible, allowing players to jump right in.
It should be crazy, exaggerated, and highly stylized. They even started the presentation with Winston, a talking monkey. The characters often represent “cliches”, pop culture prototypes, and are designed accordingly: The cyborg, the samurai, the guy in a rocket suit, the modern knight.
The battlegrounds are also “exaggerated representations” of familiar places on Earth: In London, there is the typical red double-decker bus, in Egypt the Sphinx and dog-headed Anubis statues, in Japan the cherry blossoms. Overall, this design idea reminded the tester a bit of Street Fighter.
However, they do not want to be brutal or mean-spirited, but instead depict positive characters in a fight, without bloodshed. With humorous dialogue and a colorful aesthetic.
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The longest kill streak in the game will be shown to everyone again as a “Play of the Game” after the match ends.
The game aims to be spectacular and the individual combinations of characters should allow for synergy effects: In the payload mode (inspired by Team Fortress 2), it makes sense to place a turret on the payload to be protected by another hero through a bubble: Voilá. A mobile, armored turret.
As with Hearthstone, players should be able to tell stories about their matches afterwards.
According to Blizzard, the game lends itself to eSports, but the community needs to decide that. They definitely aim to make it fun to watch a match.
Currently, the game lacks much fine-tuning and balance according to the tester. The use of different weapons did not always feel satisfactory. Also, the lags cost a lot of the gaming experience. There is a lot to be done before the start of beta in 2015.
Blizzard knows this as well. As Chris Metzen says, they have years of experience in designing multiplayer PvP titles, but this is their first shooter.
There is still no release date for Overwatch.
For more on Overwatch, you can visit our topic page.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The upcoming Free2Play MMO Skyforge showcases Alakur as the next in a panoramic view.
The world of Aelion, where Skyforge is set, is plagued by constant invasions of alien and bizarre life forms. Alakur was once a paradise island and the home of one of the world’s most beautiful temples, dedicated to the goddess Ianna. Peace reigned until the flesh-eating Pyhtonides invaded. They have power over the local flora and command everything that grows and flourishes.
Wherever the mysterious strangers settle, everything quickly becomes overgrown. They have also taken the temple under green control. And in their wake are alluring Dryads and giant mushrooms.
What appears on the surface to be a paradise, untouched island reveals itself upon closer inspection as a deceptive, green hell. For beneath the blooming plants lurk thorns, fangs, and poisonous dangers.
The Guardians in Destiny come up with new tactics to make the raid Crota’s End more exciting. In this tactic, Crota dies with just one sword in under 45 seconds, but it requires preparation.
In Destiny, the value of Titans is currently recognized. With a Titan and his Bubble, it was possible to defeat Crota with two players. Six Titans with their bubbles could march through Crota’s End on normal, without using firearms. And now it is Titans who enable an innovative kill for Crota in Hard Mode.
Well, the real star is once again a Hunter. He has the honor of being the sword bearer and deals increased damage as the Super recharges repeatedly.
The Titans “bubble” the area where the fight will later take place for a few minutes before the actual battle. With each Bubble, two orbs, two spheres of light, are created. When the Titans wear the Mark of Alpha Lupi, even three. Only when the area is sufficiently bubbled will the crystal be activated and the fight begins.
We’ve already skipped ahead to the fight start, during the previous 2:30, plenty of bubbles are laid:
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The sword fighter, the Blademaster, later attacks Crota “normally” when he kneels, alternating between the Super and the regular slam. In between, he always collects large amounts of orbs to have the Super ready for the next round.
With this method, as can be seen, the actual fight is quickly over. It just takes a few minutes to first “fill the area with bubbles.” Of course, it requires tremendous firepower to quickly bring Crota back to his knees. Here, as seen in the video, rocket launchers like “Gjallarhorn” or similarly competent destruction weapons in Destiny are recommended.
Valentine’s Day is coming, and MMORPGs like Blade and Soul or World of Warcraft are using it for an event.
It’s quite a hassle with these annual events in MMORPGs. Halloween is fine, but what do you do with the Festival of Lovers, the flower and chocolate industry? Valentine’s Day isn’t really suitable for a fantasy world. How do two such different MMOs like World of Warcraft or Blade and Soul handle this?
World of Warcraft: Feasting, Achievements, and the Love Rocket
Rogue: Never gives up the Love Rocket!
In World of Warcraft the event “Love is in the Air” is celebrated – this means that you sign up for an instance dungeon, revisit the old Shadowfang Keep to hit Apothecary Hummel on the chin in a randomly formed, anonymous 5-man group as quickly as possible. Hoping that he might finally drop the Love Rocket, a coveted mount. If necessary, you take a 635 amulet with you, but that’s probably not much fun with the current equipment status.
Somehow sexy, right? Or?
Also in Azeroth: Some of the typical event quests, most hang on AVs. It’s about stuffing your belly with chocolate, bothering others with love arrows, or picking a bouquet of roses. Everything is quite modest in Azeroth. The main thing is that you eventually complete the meta-event “What a Long, Strange Trip It’s Been.”
In WoW, the Festival of Love revolves around chocolate, AVs, and loot. And it might only differ from a festival like Halloween in that everything is pink instead of orange.
Sexy Nurses in Blade and Soul
Blade and Soul is an Asia MMO that doesn’t handle Valentine’s Day very decently. On the occasion of Valentine’s Day, the romantic aspects are overlooked, and they simply bring a “hot nurse” costume to the cash shop with accessories like glasses, syringes, and so on. Where agents from thrillers usually carry their gun in a garter, here they carry a syringe.
At least, and here the circle closes, it’s also somehow pink. The fact remains: Valentine’s Day just isn’t really suitable for a fantasy MMORPG.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Fresh wind from the capital: The free-to-play MMO Albion Online presents itself. And no, it is not an “old-school” MMO – or maybe it is?
The MMO is developed by Sandbox Interactive GmbH based in Berlin. Looking closely at the game features, they evoke nostalgic memories of the past “Ultima Online” and “Dark Age of Camelot” days. In massive battles, you can fight for territories with your guild that house valuable resources. These are needed for an extensive crafting system. Additionally, there is a trading system that is solely controlled by the players themselves.
Brick by brick to your own home or town
In Albion Online, housing is given special attention. You could say it is the trademark. You can build your own home and decorate it with love, but also construct entire cities and villages together with other players. Currently, there are 50 buildings, including blacksmiths, stables, and trading posts that serve the public interest.
If you want to gear up for battle, you first need to craft swords and shields in the blacksmith. Your home is quickly built. However, you need the help of other players for certain buildings, such as the weapon smith. Now here’s the catch: if you haven’t managed to build such a weapon factory, you’ll have to go through the warzone with your fists.
Playable on tablet, smartphone, and more
You control your hero from an isometric perspective in a graphical style that is somewhat 90s. The simple and straightforward comic look has a practical reason: Albion Online is a cross-platform MMO. Using a master server, players from Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, and Android can log in and play together or against each other. This is to create technical accessibility.
People make clothes and vice versa
According to the motto “clothes make the man,” there are no predefined classes in the world of Albion. You can go into battle in fully armored plate armor and a magic wand or with wizard-like cloth rags and a two-handed sword. But without equipment, there’s no competition. You have to craft your gear for war yourself.
What is special are the different abilities that come with changing weapons.
You can assign different active and/or passive spells for each equipped item. When you then equip the weapon, your skills also change. But be careful: if you fall in battle, you can be looted down to your shirt by enemy players thanks to the full-loot system. Therefore, you should not only charge into battle thoughtfully, but also store a second outfit in your own four walls (or choose a different server type).
Currently, Albion Online is in the winter alpha. You can purchase access to this alpha with a founder’s package and support the developers with their sandbox MMO. For the contribution of $29.95, you get direct access, participation in the closed beta, 2000 gold, and 30 days premium status.
But the developers themselves can tell you more about Albion Online:
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Conclusion: First of all, I find it remarkable that “the Germans” are daring to tackle an MMO. I always thought they could only do Gothic – you can easily be mistaken. The features that Albion Online contains already sound promising. However, to picture a more accurate mood, one would need initial feedback from the winter alpha.
That I am a total fan of cross-platform titles and second-screen applications is already a plus for the MMO. In the 21st century, there should no longer be a systemism between Windows, Android, and others. If we could later dive into the world of Albion via tablet or smartphone, it would certainly be an ideal game for on the go. It’s free-to-play, after all. However, how this accessibility affects gameplay and controls remains to be seen.
Interested in further information? Then check out the official Albion Online site. The blog, which regularly reports on development and future features, is also recommended. We will keep you updated if you are interested in the title.
http://youtu.be/PtFSKlq70lA
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Destiny, images of the new armor from the second Destiny DLC House of Wolves have appeared, which is set to release in the coming months. This includes 56 armors from the Vanguard and Crucible vendors.
Admittedly, DeeJ has taken some of the wind out of the sails of the leak: These are placeholders. And for the weapons, that’s certainly true, they were marked with the still unknown brand name “Union”.
However, we believe there is little reason to doubt that the shown armors will make it into the game. If not in terms of stats, then definitely in terms of appearance. Because they do look ready-designed, are on the level of the previous armors, and showcase individual styles that match each class. The skins will certainly be retained. It would be quite silly to alter them.
However, it is unlikely that they will launch with the light level of 39 displayed here. This has recently been ruled out by the raid designer Luke Smith. Vendor armors should not be stronger than the raid armor from the previous tier to not diminish the performance of the raiders.
Here are the various galleries with the “leaked” armors from House of Wolves. It’s not certain, but it seems very likely that these skins will remain.
Take a look at the Spring collection. What will the Vanguard and Crucible vendors offer in the House of Wolves DLC?
Vanguard Warlock Armor
Crucible Warlock Armor
Hunter Vanguard Armor
Hunter Crucible Armor
Titan Vanguard Armor
Titan Crucible Armor
What do you think of the images? Do you have any favorites? Do you prefer the mirrored dark look of the Warlock? Do you also think that the Hunter armor has a bit of Hannibal Lecter this time? And does the Titan look perhaps too functional and too much like a “mining worker with a bob hairstyle”? Would you like to hear more funny suggestive questions? Leave us a comment.
Evolve is launching a PR offensive before its release on February 10th, based on a version of “Ready or Not,” a hit from the late 60s that became popular again through the Fugees.
“Ready or Not, here I come”: “Ready or not, here it comes.” The phrase refers to the children’s game “Hide and Seek.”
The Fugees turned the song of the same name into a hit in 96, and now the phrase is the focus of the monster search-and-find game Evolve. In a live-action trailer, futuristic hunters and gruesome monsters engage in a game of hide and seek at night… and in another trailer, one might say: “I am a monster… and that is okay.”
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If you watch such trailers and go crazy because you absolutely want to find the song exactly in that version: “Ready Or Not” by Scala & Kolacny Brothers. Scala is a Belgian choir consisting of 60 women aged between 14 and 24, and the Kolacny brothers are the founders and directors of the choir.
Evolve will be released on February 10th for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC. In the coming days, something about the new game will probably come out every day, as is the case with major releases. You can find more about the game on our topic page.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The main game has not been released yet and there is already a free-to-play spin-off of Evolve. The game can be downloaded cross-platform (on iOS, Android, Amazon, and Windows devices). But what exactly is in this game?
“Connect Four” with machine guns
The game mechanics have very little in common with the big PC counterpart. In the manner of “Candy Crush” or similar games, the goal is to create straight lines of matching colored symbols. The difference now is that the symbols are assigned to the four hunter types. While you are happily moving stones back and forth at the bottom of the game, the four hunters are firing from all cylinders in the upper half of the screen. But this has not only a visual effect!
The hunters have their own HP displays and are truly fighting against the creatures of Shear – whether against wild creatures or the big monsters. The enemies hit back, of course, and if you’re not careful to occasionally sprinkle in a combination of Medic symbols, you’ll quickly find yourself in the “Game Over” screen. However, those who manage to create impressive combinations on the board will be rewarded with special abilities that deal significant damage to enemies or heal the entire team.
Nice and good – what does it bring?
To give all fans of monster hunting another incentive to play this mobile game extensively, you can log into your My2K account in “Evolve: Hunters Quest”. Those who take this step can unlock small bonuses that can then be transferred to the PC game’s account starting from February 10th. So far, it is possible to reach up to 50% of a mastery level of any hunter – the faster you unlock the next hunter!
To achieve these unlocks, however, you need to invest quite a few hours into the game – the same progress can likely be made in the PC version over the course of an hour, provided the numbers do not vary too much from the beta. A nice distraction for a moment, but ultimately probably just a PR stunt for the main game.
For those interested: On the official website evolvegame.com there are download links for the different platforms.
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