A fourth grader in Texas was expelled from elementary school because, in the eyes of the school administration, he threatened a classmate with “the one ring” from Lord of the Rings. He told a friend he could make him disappear. Quite a terrorist act, in a way.
Jason Steward, the father of the fourth grader, shared this bizarre yet true story with a newspaper in Texas last week. His nine-year-old son had watched the third part of The Hobbit over the weekend (The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies). The next day, he brought a ring to school and told a classmate he could make him disappear if he put on the ring.
As a result, the student was expelled from school with the announcement from the principal that threatening other children would not be tolerated, regardless of whether those threats were of a magical or other nature.
As the boy’s father assured the newspaper, his son does not possess the necessary magical abilities to make his friend disappear. And if he did make him disappear, he would certainly bring him back right away.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In the Racing MMO The Crew, seeing crazy car stunts is not surprising, but this slide between two school buses is still more than worth seeing. A completely different kind of car stunt can be admired in SOE’s H1Z1. Or should we rather say in DBG’s H1Z1?
Every week, there are very special moments in the MMOs we cover, which are sometimes captured on YouTube and are more than worth a look. This week in Ubisoft’s “The Crew,” there is an extraordinary stunt on snowy roads.
In H1Z1, we present a moment when two players in a Battle Royale are surprisingly caught off guard by a speeding police car, but somehow, it does not go according to plan.
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Sony Online Entertainment, the MMO studio behind MMOs like Everquest Next, H1Z1, PlanetSide 2 or DC Universe Online, will no longer belong to Sony, but will continue as Daybreak Game Company.
Sony Online Entertainment has been purchased by the investment firm Columbus Nova, as the studio announces.
All games will remain, for the players nothing will change, as they write in a post to friends, partners, and players. This change means that they will essentially proceed as an “independent software studio” and will now also be able to develop on other platforms: Yes, also for Xbox and mobile.
At SOE, they expect even more resources from the transition.
New Name Daybreak Game Company
As part of the transition process, they will leave the name SOE behind and continue under the name “Daybreak Game Company”.
SOE’s president John Smedley repeatedly posted on Twitter that nothing will change for the players and that he is looking forward to developing for Xbox. Smedley later explicitly mentioned the possibility of H1Z1 and DC Universe Online for Xbox.
All of our games are still here and will continue to be 🙂
As Jason Epstein, one of the senior partners of Columbus Nova, informs, John Smedley will remain president of the studio. They hope for much from the collaboration, considering SOE a valuable addition to the portfolio and citing the successful early access of H1Z1 as one of the many examples of the talent and dedication of SOE employees.
Smedley was one of the founders of Sony Online Entertainment in 1995. The studio established itself as an MMO specialist over the past twenty years with games like Everquest, Everquest 2, Star Wars Galaxies or Vanguard. At the moment, they have two hot projects with the survival MMO H1Z1 and the upcoming MMORPG Everquest Next.
Controversy over H1Z1 early access appears in a new light
Mein MMO says: Oops. How this will affect things remains to be seen in the future. It sounds positive, as it is presented. However, it has often been shown in the past that such extreme changes do not always bring only good things.
Now the repeated accusation of why a “huge corporation like Sony” relies so much on early access as SOE does with H1Z1 appears in a different light. SOE is not the “huge corporation Sony”, but just a studio under this giant roof. Or “was,” as must now be said. Good luck to Daybreak Game Company.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In H1Z1 the fight against cheaters and hackers has been taken up, and with some enjoyment.
Sony Online Entertainment, led by President John Smedley, likes to brag that they are so tough on “hackers” and “cheats” in their games that even the big “black sites” eventually stop developing new cheats for SOE games, as it proves to be unprofitable.
Even in the Early Access game H1Z1, the fight against cheaters is taken up with delight. This is showing results.
There are threads on reddit where “Statements from the Banned” are compiled. They complain that they have been caught again. Some are already on their 4th account. Meanwhile, access to H1Z1 still costs $20.
At SOE, they apparently like such image collections. As combat designer Jimmy Whisenhunt wryly commented on Twitter: “Dear hackers, we’re sorry that some of you can no longer play. Thank you for your tears and donations. More bans are coming.”
Dear #H1Z1 cheaters: Sorry some of you suddenly can’t play anymore, your donation and tears are greatly appreciated. More bans inc.
The building-and-digging game Landmark pays tribute to its players and their creations with a video memorial.
One year has passed since Landmark was released, and what has happened in that year is showcased by SOE in a spectacular video. It emphasizes the great and creative players they have found at Landmark. These served as inspiration and repeatedly showed the Everquest Next developers what is possible with the development tools.
Players’ creations are becoming bigger, prettier, and more innovative. They also want to involve player feedback in other aspects of Everquest Next. For instance, they listen to their suggestions regarding the design of the races.
As mentioned in the video, Landmark is just about to enter an Open Beta.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
There has been no news regarding a possible PC release for Destiny for more than half a year. This would seem logical. Will we learn more in September?
A PC release for Destiny still appeared logical to Activision Chief Hirshberg in an interview back in June 2014. Destiny would fit well on PC, as the genre and setting are perfectly suited for a PC port, he said back then.
Why is there silence regarding a PC port of Destiny?
But they do not want to overextend themselves at the moment and, if they port Destiny to PC, they want to ensure that it achieves the highest possible quality.
This interview from June with the US magazine Polygon is the last thing we have heard from Bungie regarding a PC port. Since then, they have remained silent. This can only be due to two reasons:
They are genuinely not working on a PC version.
They are working on a PC version but are saying nothing about it. Perhaps they have come to an agreement with console manufacturers Sony and Microsoft not to disclose anything about a PC port, so that the “quasi” exclusive title Destiny continues to sell consoles. Silence, then, is intended to entice actual PC players to switch to a next-gen console to enjoy exclusive titles. If they definitely knew, “This will eventually come to PC,” the pressure to switch would be weaker.
Leak provided hints
In the past months, there has been no new information about a PC release, but a “leak” provided a glimpse into Destiny’s future plans. This “leak” has not been officially confirmed, but its credibility has not been seriously questioned either. It simply appears too coherent and fits too well with the “official” plans we have for Destiny in 2015 and beyond. The next DLC “House of Wolves” is expected to be released in March, which is supposed to be of a similar scope and size to the December DLC “Darkness Awaits”.
If Bungie were to decide now to release a PC port, they would find themselves in an awkward position with these two “previous” DLCs. Should they just give those to players of a PC base game? Would they have to purchase these separately at release? Do they want two versions for Destiny?
Comet in Destiny is likely to be Destiny 1.5
According to the leak, a kind of Destiny 1.5 is supposed to be released in September 2015 as a standalone expansion. It currently carries the name Comet: Plague of Darkness. Apparently, Bungie wants to retain this “Comet” title as a designation for such “.5” expansions and will use this name for the upcoming titles Destiny 2 and Destiny 3.
This Destiny 1.5 is supposed to be different from the previous DLCs, if the rumors are to be believed. It is set to be sold as a “new base box” and include not only new content but also the base game of Destiny and the two DLCs “Darkness Awaits” and “House of Wolves”. A new “season” pass is likely to be offered that will include the next 2 DLCs, which would probably build on Destiny 1.5.
Furthermore, they want to “sort of” start anew with 1.5, raise the base level to 30, and introduce some new zones and missions.
It is to be expected that Bungie and Activision will launch their marketing machinery again in advance of Comet. This could also provide an opportunity to market a PC version and create a favorable environment for it.
However, these are currently all unconfirmed information. We only know that Bungie is planning such a larger “expansion” but do not have any official details.
Are the clauses expiring after a year?
September will mark a year since the launch of Destiny. Therefore, it would be quite conceivable that any “contracts” with Sony or Microsoft have expired. As is known, the exclusive contract with Sony regarding the PlayStation-exclusive base game content Hawkmoon, Monte Carlo, the strike Dust Palace, and the Crucible map Exodus Blue is set to expire in September. After a year, these contents will be available to Xbox players.
And if for Sony this one year for the DLC content was enough to hope for an advantage over Microsoft, then perhaps they are also content with this one year without a PC version.
A PC release in September would make sense
The release of Destiny 1.5, the Comet expansion, therefore appears to us at mein-mmo.de to be a “logical” time, should they decide to release a PC port for Destiny. It would be a clean break and a clear new beginning; the PR machinery must be ignited again in August anyway. PC players would then more or less “skip” the first year of Destiny and start directly with a Destiny that is known to have significantly more gameplay content than in the 20 version and is probably also more polished and mature.
Many long for a PC version
Likewise, console players are in a similar situation to The Elder Scrolls Online. They will also never experience the “base game” but only a then improved version “Tamriel Unlimited“, which will have been developed already for over a year by the time of its console release in June.
Once again: All of this is currently still speculation. There has been no news since June 2014, which seems ever stranger, since Destiny is such a great success and a port to PC is practically inevitable.
At Evolve, it has now been clarified which fictional inspirations the monsters Goliath and Wraith have.
In an interview with Gaming-Bolt, producer Chloe Skew discussed the inspiration that designers drew for the monsters. After all, they are playable characters that need to seem threatening while still remaining sympathetic.
Monsters in Focus
Monsters are important! After all, the massive creatures that a single player controls against a team of four cooperating opponents are at the center of the game.
In Evolve, there is this massive size difference: The monsters tower over everything, being forces of annihilation; the maps are designed specifically to highlight the size of the monsters, says Skew. The new, fourth monster Behemoth, a sort of fighting rock giant, is said to be the largest monster they will ever create: Something larger simply won’t fit on the map.
He just wants to play! (Imagine a white woman in the right claw)
Cthulhu – Health
The interviewer then asks Skew about the aesthetics that the developers drew from. He thought the design reminded him of a mix between Pacific Rim and the Power Rangers.
Skew replied that it was about making the monsters “sympathetic” since players take on their roles. Therefore, they couldn’t make them “too” strange. They based the designs on pop culture monsters, like the giant ape King Kong, for which one also feels a kind of sympathy. The hunters should feel as if they are fighting against an “intelligent” creature.
For the flying, tentacled monster “Kraken”, they were inspired by something else. Here, the Cthulhu mythos by H.P. Lovecraft was indeed the model. When designing the various monsters, they made sure to cover the different archetypes. While Goliath is the brute monster, the third monster Wraith fulfills more of a “rogue” role.
The asymmetrical MOBA/team shooter Evolve will be released on February 10 for Xbox One, Playstation 4, and PC.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Black Desert may take longer for the West release than expected. A possible console port is something that the developers could envision.
Black Desert really sends conflicting signals about a port to the West. In the meantime, there was talk about the end of 2015, early 2016. Now, a long interview has appeared with Do-Sung Go, the Project Manager at Pearl Abyss. And here, the outlook for the West sounds significantly gloomier.
According to his statements, a West release is currently not a priority. First, they will release the game (in this order) for Korea, Japan, and Russia in their respective versions. Only after that will the USA and Europe, the West, be considered. One can expect this “after 2016”. More precise details will be available once agreements with publishers for each region are settled.
Nothing specific has been decided yet regarding the release of Black Desert in the western market. The current service order is set as Korea, Japan, and Russia and considering this line up, US/EU is most likely to be launched after this, approximately after 2016.
The choice of publishers will also affect how much Black Desert will be adapted to the respective market. They will also discuss with each publisher how the payment model will look. There is nothing concrete to report yet. In the Korean Black Desert, there will also be gear available in the cash shop, but they want to structure this so that the purchasable gear has as little impact on the game as possible.
Console port on Playstation 4 and Xbox One still under discussion
Do-Sung Go at least does not dismiss a console port of Black Desert on Playstation 4 and Xbox One. This is something that is still being discussed at the moment. From the developers’ perspective, it remains to be clarified whether the platforms support a frequent patch process.
First information on system requirements for Black Desert
When asked about the system requirements for the visually appealing Black Desert on PCs, Do-Sung Go mentioned that one would need approximately this setup for 30fps at 1600×900 on high settings:
However, even then, genre-typical FPS drops may occur during large gatherings of players. They also want to create settings that weaker PCs can handle well.
In this week, World of Warcraft finally continues. Starting Wednesday, the Blackrock Foundry will open its gates, and the new world boss Rukhmar will also roam the peaks of Arak.
From Wednesday, February 4th, it is finally time: The Blackrock Foundry opens its gates. This Wednesday, it will kick off on the “Normal” difficulty and on “Heroic”. A week later, on February 11th, the hunt for the significant World First kills begins on “Mythic”, and from February 18th, the individual wings of the Raid Finder will gradually open their doors.
On the website Icy Veins, there are already the first “guides” for the new bosses in World of Warcraft, and the loot has been viewable for a while in World of Warcraft’s dungeon compendium. In normal mode, Raiders can expect iLvl 665, on heroic 680, and on mythic, it goes up to 695.
For those who can’t check in-game right now to ponder with a slight drool about what the new gear will look like on their own astral body: There’s also the exact loot list on mmo-champion.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Neverwinter , the new class, the Paladin, is extensively presented in a dev blog.
Neverwinter takes place in the D&D universe, which is well known for its class variety, especially in newer editions. Therefore, the initial disappointment among Neverwinter fans was significant, as relatively few options were available from all these possibilities. Cryptic is changing this by regularly introducing new classes.
Next up is the “Oathbound Paladin”. Depending on the oath he takes, he fulfills one of two roles:
With the Oath of Protection, he takes 10% less damage and deals 500% more threat. He becomes a classic tank, capable of casting an absorb shield on himself and his group while having various taunt abilities.
On the other hand, with the Oath of Devotion, he becomes a healer, likely specializing in group healing, hot effects, and increasing the healing received by his allies.
Known from numerous other games, the Paladin in Neverwinter also relies on his auras, which grant a positive effect to all allies or impose a negative effect on enemies:
Aura of Courage: Bonus damage for you and allied players within 30 feet.
Aura of Truth: Enemies within 30 feet deal 5% less damage.
Aura of Wisdom: You and your allies within 30 feet receive a 10% faster recharge.
Aura of Haste: +20% movement speed for you and your allies within 30 feet, and you generate action points 20% faster.
For the exact details in the dev blog, click here.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Destiny, an employee has now commented on Xur’s inventory, the Agent of the Nine. This is said to be determined randomly, but it is known beforehand what will be available.
Small talk puts Community Manager in a bind
A clip from November 2014 is circulating on the internet. At that time, Bungie’s Community Manager David Dague (DeeJ) was hanging out with Guardians in a casual setting, and one recorded the conversation. DeeJ was asked whether Xur’s selection was “random.” DeeJ humorously replied that it was not random but followed a “plan.”
He himself had already asked the people responsible during the Sunbreaker issue, and received the response: “Are you asking as a Community Manager, with a legitimate concern, or are you asking as a Warlock who wants a helmet?”
Deej then said: “Everyone is worried about the Sunbreaker gloves for Warlocks.”
And the “others” then: “That won’t be a problem anymore.”
It’s quite clear in the video that DeeJ meant this as a funny anecdote.
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The longing for Gjallarhorn causes conspiracy theories
But now this clip appears in the Bungie forum and gives us a statement about Xur.
According to DeeJ, Xur’s selection is random (“Xur is randomized”). However, at Bungie, they know in advance what he would offer. That is “the plan” that DeeJ spoke about in the video. Occasionally, Bungie can perform a miracle, like during Christmas, when they forced Xur in Destiny to stay longer. But otherwise, his inventory is determined by the same chaos as the other loot drops in Destiny.
For DeeJ, these conspiracy theories about Xur are a sign of how much the Guardians long for Gjallarhorn. Questions about Gjallarhorn are the most common type of questions that reach DeeJ. Even more frequent than questions about a larger vault. But that is outside of his control.
DeeJ promises to do his utmost to speak with the people who work on the code so that Xur becomes valuable again in the future.
However, Xur’s inventory has not appeared particularly random on a broad basis in recent weeks. The discussion revolves around whether the new DLC items are weighted more heavily, to the detriment of the old exotics (like Gjallarhorn). The reasons why this topic is so hotly debated, you can read in this article.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Destiny, you can still find loot caves. This one is on Venus and promises a pleasant farming experience, especially for low-level players.
Loot caves in Destiny were a big deal around October/November. We regularly reported on them and mapped new spots. Then Bungie closed them, and new ones were found until the big boom of treasure caves was essentially over. With patches and hotfixes, they became less attractive, while the regular strikes became more lucrative.
However, this doesn’t stop players from searching for and finding these special spawn locations. Here we have an up-to-date spot on Venus for you. There’s currently some contention about who exactly found it. But that shouldn’t concern the Guardians too much. According to the finder, the spot is ideal for Ether Seeds and House Banners, making it a lucrative glimmer farming spot.
http://youtu.be/SrV7gCE8eKc
Loot caves are based on specific positions and mechanics
Farming with a loot cave is still a method to obtain glimmer and certain materials. For low-level guardians, it can also be the way to take the first light levels through engrams.
These loot caves are essentially based on positioning yourself so that the mobs spawn continuously. You should not stand anywhere that interrupts this spawn. Even today, they can provide a change from the “strike routine”; moreover, missions can often be completed here without much running around.
When you find such a spot, the enemies come out of their holes like on a conveyor belt, they die relatively quickly and leave loot, usually engrams.
Even though loot caves play hardly any role in the day-to-day of Destiny today, they are equated by outsiders with the typical play style of Destiny and are even given a monument in new games.
The developer studio ArtCraft Entertainment Inc. aims to set new standards with the upcoming fantasy MMO Crowfall. The game principle is to be re-conceived from theme park and sandbox MMORPGs.
Much is still unknown about Crowfall, only that it wants to completely change the MMO scene. This is possible when you look at the developer prominence behind the game: Founder of ArtCraft Entertainment J. Todd Coleman was the Creative Director of Shadowbane, Wizard101, and Pirate101. Another co-founder is Gordon Walton, who was previously the Executive Producer of Ultima Online, Star Wars Galaxies, and Star Wars: The Old Republic.
Thus, they bring a lot of experience that they will need: Although Crowfall is said to be oriented toward the 2004 released and now discontinued Shadowbane, it will be neither a typical sandbox nor a typical theme park MMO.
The Western Wall of ArtCraft Entertainment
On the website play2crush.com, the developers have expressed their views on the MMO genre in a provocative manner. Starting with a jab at the gaming industry, which only focuses on mass market success, they write: “With a theme park MMO, you cannot lose, and with a sandbox MMO, you cannot win. If you can neither win nor lose, why do you even play?” Good question, yet they want to win with Crowfall and develop a next-generation MMO. It is also clear what they do not want:
We do not want to kill rats anymore and no longer fill experience point bars or collect unnecessary junk.
What all this means is still unclear, as the developers are keeping game information under wraps. However, the comic graphics of Crowfall are intended to be clear and straightforward.
Dynamic Conquest and a Player-Driven Economy as the Holy Grail
The core idea of the game involves two key features: on the one hand, dynamic conquest and on the other, a player-driven economy. “Combining these two concepts is the holy grail of MMO development,” says Coleman.
In the conquests, different servers fight for their territory, similar to what happens in Guild Wars 2 in “World vs. World”. The uniqueness comes from the novel server system: Unlike in previous MMO titles, the basic game world is not distributed across all servers and then inhabited by the respective players of a server, but each server has its own virtual realm. Thus, on Server A, the game world could resemble a burning steppe, while on Server B, mountains, rivers, and valleys could embellish the landscape. According to Coleman, each server is “very unique” and predestined to be changed by a dynamic game world.
How exactly the player-regulated economy is structured will likely be revealed soon. The crafting system is expected to be a central component of the game and show parallels with those of EVE Online, Ultima Online, or Star Wars Galaxies. No wonder: The legendary designers Thomas Blair and Raph Koster, who had a major influence on crafting in SWG, are now pulling the strings at Crowfall.
They especially criticize that there have been no new impulses in crafting in recent years.In an interview with mmorpg.com, they express optimism that the team will manage to counteract stagnation with fresh ideas. Crafting is set to re-engage players and play a key role, whether for creating equipment, conquest items, or building cities.
After a Decision Comes Consequence
In Crowfall, decisions play an essential role. Every decision carries consequences. This is intended to involve players more deeply in the gameplay than ever before in an MMO. How these high goals will be implemented and achieved is not yet known. A countdown runs on the official Crowfall website until 25.02.2015, after which a major announcement regarding the game is expected, hopefully containing more detailed game information. Until then, one can already create an account and browse through the forum, where the developers have already revealed some small hints about the game.
Conclusion: Quite big promises from ArtCraft Entertainment, especially J. Todd Coleman. But Coleman truly speaks to my soul. The MMO genre needs to evolve to counter significant fluctuations and declines in player numbers. That is a fact. We have all seen what has happened to the titles of recent years: Free-to-play, megaservers, and often unsatisfactory quarterly numbers. Leading back to a rebranded homogenized mass that has grown old. Who dares to develop a new AAA MMORPG?
In the Western market, there is hardly anything apart from Everquest Next, as the risks are high – online role-playing games are among the most complex projects in the gaming industry. In Asia, the world is a little different. There, new titles are regularly released, bringing fresh air to the market, but hopeful AAA MMOs like Black Desert and Bless Online are still awaited here. Therefore, I think it’s good that the developers of Crowfall publicly commit to taking a new step and fundamentally changing the MMO genre.
Before the announcement on 25.02, one can only speculate and guess whether, and if so, to what extent Crowfall will revolutionize the scene. The question also is: How will all these innovations be implemented and what new features can we still expect? Nevertheless, I am very curious whether the search for the holy MMO grail will be crowned with success. What do you think?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Hearthstone the card back to be won in the February season is all about the Lunar Festival.
A new month has begun, which means in Hearthstone: a new card back will be up for grabs. Players simply need to climb to rank 20 in “Constructed” play. This sounds like a lot of work, but players start at rank 25 and must fight their way “down”. It’s relatively easy to get to rank 20 anyway, as you don’t lose stars upon a defeat.
The “Lunar New Year” is the Chinese New Year. It is celebrated in Asia and also in World of Warcraft at the end of January and the beginning of February. Certainly a nod to the Asian players. Hearthstone is supposedly incredibly popular there. But even across the rest of the globe, Blizzard’s card game is gaining popularity.
In a new alleged leak the number of 75 million players worldwide is circulating, though this has not been confirmed. The last official number before the release on Android tablets and the new expansion was 20 million registered players.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
For the fantasy MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn, the new Patch 2.51 will be released on February 24. It will bring the typical “fun elements” of the Final Fantasy series to the MMO, including Chocobo racing, the card game Triple Triad, lots of mini-games, and a raffle.
The seriousness of life is on pause for now. Between the two halves of the last content patch before the expansion Heavensward Square Enix has placed a focus on recovery. With Patch 2.51, playful elements will come to the world of Eorzea with cosmetic rewards. This is highlighted in the new producer’s video briefing.
The popular card game Triple Triad is firmly rooted in the history of Final Fantasy. It will start in the MMO FF XIV with 80 cards. Players will be able to win new cards in various ways, such as from NPCs, in dungeons, or they can be purchased with the new Mandeville coins.
It will also be possible to play cards against other players.
Chocobo racing
The Chocobo racing involves players raising their own Chocobos and giving them a name beforehand. They will be able to compete in a race against other players on various tracks. The Chocobos can gain experience points, level up, and even acquire new abilities. They can also be enhanced with special feed.
In the races themselves, the focus will mainly be on managing the Chocobo’s stamina and collecting certain power-ups and speed boosts.
Chocobos can also be retired. However, they won’t be met with the Choco-butcher, but will lead a life as breeding Chocobos. They can be used to breed offspring that will inherit traits from the parent animals.
Mini-games and the lottery
As G.A.T.E. (Gold Saucer Active Time Events) describes a series of events and mini-games. Here, the main focus will be on pressing the correct button in time. There will be a whole range of different ones.
And finally, with “Cactpot“, a type of lottery will also be introduced.
There is also already a first glimpse at the rewards that will be available in 2.51. Here, fans are especially excited about the Fenrir mount – which they actually suspected to be in the cash shop.
But that and other impressive items will likely be available through the Gold Saucer: including a seltzer outfit, a bunny costume, and additional mounts.
The complete video briefing is available here:
http://youtu.be/lZEKbwk_FH8
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In the sandbox MMO ArcheAge there are artists who play popular songs using the in-game music crafting system.
There was this in Lord of the Rings Online: Through complicated key combinations, the “heroes” were able to start playing music in the game; they did not simply follow pre-set animations but could improvise. The notes just had to be correct. In Trion Worlds’ ArcheAge, this system is experiencing a renaissance and is even linked to an in-game crafting system.
For in the harsh world of trade and war, there lies a creative sandbox soul. The YouTube channel “Critical Moment” (also a guild) has now created a music video that weaves a tragic “Firran loves woman” love story around Marron 5’s “Animal”. The kicker: not only is the music system from ArcheAge used, but also imaginatively designed scenes from the game.
This is not the first video from the clan; another entertaining cover is also recommended:
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The fantasy MMORPG The Elder Scrolls Online aims to rehabilitate the cash shop notorious in other MMOs.
A cash shop in MMOs relies on microtransactions (MTX): Players can purchase virtual items and advantages for “real” money. In The Elder Scrolls Online, such a feature is set to be introduced in March, when TESO transitions to Buy2Play .
According to statements from TESO staff, they want to distance their own cash shop (the “Crown” store) from the negative image that cash shops have received from other games. This is noted in a statement from the last ESO Live, a streaming show by Zenimax. Responses to viewer questions were summarized and published in the official forum.
The bad reputation, it is said, stems from “cash shops,” as games force their players into them. They design and manipulate the game so that players have less fun without using the cash shop. TESO does not want to do that.
In The Elder Scrolls Online, while they want to offer items in the shop that allow for time savings, they do not intend to redesign the game so that this time savings becomes “necessary.” It is also okay if players only purchase the base game without spending money in the Crown shop.
We operate with this philosophy: The more players have longer gaming sessions with their friends and simply have fun in the game, the more opportunities will open up for the community to buy something in the Crown shop. We want to fill our shop with offers that encourage players to spend even more time in the game and thus improve their experiences. We understand that there will be many who simply buy the base version and will only play this version – and that is also fine!
Prices for the cash shop are not yet mentioned by Zenimax. Although the shop will open on the test server for a stress test on Monday night, there will only be preliminary prices there as well.
We are dealing with the cash shop and potential dangers in The Elder Scrolls Online in this article.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn, players who have been participating for 720 days will receive the iconic Cloud outfit from the classic Final Fantasy VII as a veteran reward.
In the last producer letter, Final Fantasy XIV’s mastermind Naoki Yoshida announced that players would receive Cloud’s outfit from Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children as a 720-day loyalty bonus. FF VII was released in 1997, even came to PC, and is considered one of the highlights of the series. Cloud Strife was the protagonist of the cult classic.
Especially for players on PlayStation, this may be a small consolation prize, as they have long been wishing for a Final Fantasy VII for their console.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In World of Warcraft, the tactical genius Grommash managed to drive the forces of Horde and Alliance into retreat with an army of paper Orcs.
In the game, there is a huge horde of Orcs waiting to crush the players’ armies. An insurmountable obstacle that must be circumvented. But as a cunning hunter discovered, it wasn’t an “Iron Horde” looming on the horizon, but a “Paper Horde.” What happened? The hunter used the ability “Eagle Eye” to get a glimpse of Grommash’s horde at the Dark Portal and realized there: Blizzard saved on polygons. Instead of an army of 3D models, there is only a 2D paper army. Potemkin Orcs, so to speak.
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The Korea MMO Bless Online has completed its second Closed Beta phase. In this article, we take a look at the four classes that were playable there.
The development of Asia MMOs runs at a different pace than that of Western MMOs. In the West, it is common to develop the game behind closed doors for a long time and to gradually involve more and more players in closed and open beta phases towards the end. They want to present a good image of the game to create purchase incentives and wait a long time so that players can see a “complete” game.
In Asia, players are allowed to participate for a short period in Closed Beta 1 years before the target release date, then the gates are closed for a long time before a second and finally a third Closed Beta takes place.
It was similar with Bless. The action MMO had its second Closed Beta phase in December, since then it has been very quiet around the game, until it goes into a third Closed Beta later in 2015 and then probably into the final stretch.
Today, we take a look at the four classes that were already playable in the Closed Beta 2 of Bless. We refer to statements and videos from Asia MMO specialist Steparu, who was in the Korean Closed Beta 2 and tried out the heroes.
The Berserker, the man for the rough stuff
The Berserker is surprisingly mobile for a melee fighter wearing heavy armor. He builds up his rage slowly and can, when the rage meter is fully charged, switch to a berserker mode by pressing the “R” key. The abilities he uses do not consume rage, but generate rage points. Dodging is relatively difficult with him; it can only be done in the direction he is looking and forward.
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The archer has a sort of “auto aim” and selects the target directly in front of him. He encourages mobility and shooting while running. However, some of the higher DPS skills require him to stand still.
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The Paladin in Bless is a hybrid between melee and caster. He can assume a defensive stance in which he regenerates life points faster. In attack, he can use his mace or typical “Holy” abilities like the Smite.
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The Guardian is a classic shield tank; he can not only block attacks coming straight at him, but also those from other angles. He chains his attacks together with combos.
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