The first expansion for the fantasy MMORPG Guild Wars 2, Heart of Thorns, still doesn’t have an official release date, but it should be coming soon.
In the presentation for the GW2 add-on Heart of Thorns, nothing was missing except a concrete date. In ArenaNet’s typical fashion, they didn’t want to give any dates until they were 100% sure. However, it seems it won’t be long now.
In an interview after the event with the US magazine Polygon, Guild Wars Game Director Colin Johanson said: “We waited until the announcement until things took shape, from here it will move quickly.“
In six weeks at PAX East in Boston, on March 6, there will already be a playable demo of Heart of Thorns.
Shortly after, ArenaNet plans to invite players to a beta test. According to Johanson, it’s mainly about finding out whether they have laid a solid foundation to build upon later:
It’s going to get released when beta testing says it’s ready to get released. We want to involve our players in that. It’ll be a process of beta testing the game and making sure that this fundamental groundwork that we’re laying is the groundwork that we want to build on top of growing forward.
The expansion Heart of Thorns will be released when the beta test shows that the add-on is ready for release.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
2015: Star Wars: The Old Republic will receive 2 expansions
This year, they want to release two new expansions, although they do not want to provide exact details about the scope and contents yet. Such predictions should be taken with caution, as BioWare has often postponed patches and expansions in the past when they deemed it necessary.
April: A new planet, a new species, and the costume designer
Already in April, the story of SWTOR will be continued, at least on a small scale, as players can expect the new planet “Ziost,” where the story will progress further. Additionally, the Togruta will be added as a playable species, which will likely be unlocked again using cartel credits, just like the Cathar were before.
Cartel packs, promotional images, backgrounds, and more
So that fans can express themselves on social media, a range of promotional images, Facebook profile backgrounds, and various animations have also been released, which you can access in our sources. At the same time, a new cartel pack will arrive in the game world, filled to the brim with decorations, clothing items, and exclusive mounts – if you have a fair bit of luck.
In Destiny, the aim is to learn from the mistakes made in item balance in the DLC “Darkness Awaits.” This is now announced by a post from Raid Lead Designer Luke Smith. In particular, the resetting of an exotic item after upgrading and the legendary vendor items, which were stronger than previous raid gear, have been identified as sources of error.
Clear information is rare at Bungie. Once a week, there is the “Weekly Update,” which often consists of a retrospective and rarely looks concrete into the future. Interviews or clear statements from the responsible developers are almost never seen. They don’t show their cards. However, yesterday was an exception.
Most of the time, the communication from players to Bungie is quite one-sided. Players complain, and the community manager tells them they are being heard and that he will pass their complaints on to the developers. Much more happens, apart from planned announcements, actually not.
Upgrading exotic items will work differently in Destiny
Yesterday there was a rare exception. On Neo-Gaf, a huge English-speaking gaming forum, a Destiny player wrote: “As soon as it becomes clear how to upgrade exotic items in the DLC House of Wolves and how to buy vendor legendaries there, there will be real trouble again.“
This is a frequently expressed concern that boils down to “With the next DLC, everything starts over again! Why should I bother now?” Countless times, this has been read before.
But this time, the complaint brought Bungie’s Lead Raid Designer, Luke Smith, to the forefront: “No, it won’t anger the fans (when we announce it).”
They made two mistakes with Darkness Awaits that they will not repeat:
Crota’s End was a reaction to complaints about the base game
The philosophy of how to reward players in Destiny has evolved. Bungie’s goal is to reduce the grind aspects of loot, improve the frequency of drops and their stories, and bring players to the fun part with their arsenal faster.
The aim of the adjustments in “Darkness Awaits” was:
to increase the drop rates of items in Crota’s End so that frequent players are either at level 32 or just before when the hard mode comes.
to diversify the gear so that players at level 32 are focused on creating the perfect set with different attributes.
Until that thing is upgraded …
Players should equip found items in Destiny faster
As Smith sees it, this has been fundamentally successful. The drop rate in Crota’s End has markedly improved compared to the Glass Chamber.
However, he sees problems with the “Shard Economy” (the availability of shards). That is an obstacle that stands between guardians and the immediate use of fresh drops.
In this balance, they will now not interfere in “Darkness Awaits” to avoid undermining the achievements of the guardians. In the next DLC “House of Wolves,” this should be different.
They want fewer hurdles between the moment a player finds a new item and the moment they equip it and make it part of their arsenal.
Destiny and the entire industry are still refining the perfect loot system
Mein MMO believes: This item philosophy is a major topic in MMO design, and even though Destiny is seen by many as not an MMO – it has the item design of an MMO and with it the same problems.
World of Warcraft had these hurdles as well that Smith speaks of. Players did not have to level an item, but they had to insert a fresh drop into their “gear,” ensuring that no stats were too high and none too low.
They had to buy gems and socket the item, enchant it, resort to a 3rd-party tool to calculate and readjust the perfect balance of the entire gear. This had built up over the years, becoming increasingly complex until it was almost completely abolished in November. WoW should aim for something similar: A player finds an item, is happy, equips it immediately, and feels stronger.
This is a psychologically important feeling that game designers aim for, and Destiny does not evoke. Here, with a new item, the feeling is: Oh dear, now I have to upgrade and level it too. And how long will it last? Starting over in 6 weeks?
A change in the ideal direction occurred a few weeks ago: Thus, the new raid armors were raised to a naked value of 30 light, so that players could equip them immediately upon finding the new raid armor without dropping in light level. Even the upgraded exotic armors and weapons are “naked” stronger than their fully upgraded predecessors.
It seems that Bungie wants to quickly bring all items to a high level and then let players fine-tune the last few percent. The next challenge will probably be whether they take away the fun of the game from players by handing out items “too easily”.
For exactly such things, MMO designers have been thinking for decades, searching for the golden path.
Only two players have defeated the final boss Crota in Destiny in the 6-player raid Crota’s End. This raid has only been accessible since Wednesday evening.
Not too long ago, we presented videos from the normal raid Crota’s End showcasing damage records and various methods of how Guardians took down Crota while imposing handicaps: only with 5 players, with 4, with 3, with 2, solo, solo with the weakest exotic in the game.
Back then we wrote: It’s about time the hard mode comes, so these players receive a new challenge. How foolish we were!
Instead, the videos and achievements of the Guardians have seemingly set a trend in Destiny, with more and more Guardians trying to set such records as early as possible.
Two Guardians Discover Safe Tactic for Hard Crota
Two players have now managed to achieve what so many six-man teams have failed to do in recent days: They have defeated Crota in hard mode. This took just over 9 minutes, requires perfect timing, and whether it’s intended that the sword bearers can be taken down so easily as shown in the videos remains questionable.
As early as Wednesday evening, a clan came up with a tactic that allowed them to work around most of the “difficulties” that Bungie intended to spice up hard mode.
Now, it seems to be a quite safe tactic that the two Guardians have devised. They are rarely in real danger. The video of the kill shows that a mixture of sheer firepower, good timing, and above all the right strategy were necessary to take down Crota so confidently.
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The impressive moments always occur when the sword bearer confronts Crota and he is still standing. One needs a lot of trust in their partner and their Gjallarhorn. But it is probably mainly patience and time, not the sniper rifle, but the actual virtues that contribute to this success. Who knows how many times things went wrong before, and how often the flawless ballet we see ended abruptly?
Well, one has some idea. In Destiny, everything is logged, and if we roughly estimate the death statistics of the players, each should be around 250 deaths (and as mentioned, the raid has only been open since Wednesday evening).
The equipment of the Hunter and sword bearer seems to be revolving around Fatebringer, Black Hammer, and Gjallarhorn. His partner, the Titan, is also essential for the strategy, especially due to the bubble. Furthermore, some syntheses for heavy ammo are necessary.
We have the complete video for you here. The duo has also uploaded strategies for the other encounters in Crota’s End hard mode. Even solo players have managed to reach Crota himself by now.
What do you think about the hard mode Crota’s End? Are you disappointed that with the right tactic, the perfect talents of the correct classes, and top-notch equipment, it seems to be so easy? After all, this is the first ID in Destiny where hard mode is available. Should future bosses perhaps prove to be a bit tougher, even leaning more towards “unfair”? Or do you find Crota tough enough and these are just exceptional players who have little to do with the day-to-day in Destiny?
All news, guides, videos, and articles about the MMO shooter from Bungie can be found collected, well-tempered, and clearly on our Destiny topic page.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In World of Warcraft, Patch 6.1 is now available on the test server. A lot of new details are now clear.
Patch 6.1 has been discussed for a while, and some details were already known. Now the full patch notes are available on the test server, bringing a lot of new changes to the world of Azeroth. Not everything will go live exactly as it is, but – as experience shows – most of it will.
Some details were still missing. These can now be added, here is a selection of the highlights:
The legendary ring quest will provide a new epic follower.
Anyone who completes the daily challenge dungeon will receive an item with iLvl 660.
The new bosses that can be summoned to your garrison are designed for 10-40 players and scale with the group size. Items they summon are obtained from quests given by new visitors to the garrison.
The new platinum rank, which allows you to complete invasions of your garrison in World of Warcraft, grants another 660 item.
The follower missions that grant raid items provide a chance for 665, 680, and 695 items in the new raid of Blackrock Foundry. More details on the system currently in Highmaul can be found here, it can be assumed that it will be accordingly adjusted for Blackrock Foundry.
The jukebox in World of Warcraft needs to be assembled first, which works through parts obtained from follower missions. Songs will be found later in the world.
The tertiary stats will be significantly buffed. Life steal, speed, and avoidance are now supposed to be four times stronger on items. Previously, those were only modest amounts.
A massive balancing of talents across the classes is taking place. Most of the changes are aimed at avoiding an “ideal build.” Instead of one talent being clearly the best, Blizzard wants to ensure that all 3 talents you can choose from at a level are reasonably viable. The talent changes are extremely extensive. You can read them here in the patch notes.
Other things coming with 6.1 have already been addressed:
In Guild Wars 2, there will be a new expansion called “Heart of Thorns”. Here is the trailer for it.
The expansion for Guild Wars 2 is live and was just announced a few minutes ago (January 24; 6:15 PM) live. An impressive trailer was shown during the live stream. The main character is Rytlock. He had disappeared into the “Mists” during the storyline of GW2 to search for his incredibly powerful sword.
What he experienced in the Mists has remained hidden from players so far. However, he was seen wearing an eyepatch and a completely unknown armor. During our exclusive giveaway of GW2 T-shirts, Rytlock served as the motif. It was already said then that he would play an important role in the next chapter of GW2, and that is set to be proved true.
With the launch of the expansion “Heart of Thorns”, Rytlock will return from the Mists heavily scarred and become the progenitor of a new class. He will be the first Revenant in Guild Wars 2.
This new class is supposed to wear heavy armor and summon the legends of the past from Guild Wars to gain new abilities. They command otherworldly powers.
The official trailer for the “Heart of Thorns” expansion from GW2 was released shortly after the event. We have embedded it directly above.
And for those who discover classes in the trailer wielding weapons that they technically should not be using: That is one of the new features of the expansion. There are new specializations (so to speak, secondary classes) that grant access to weapons that were previously forbidden to the classes: For example, the Ranger will wield a staff as a Druid, and the Necromancer will be able to use a greatsword.
P.S.: We know that “Revenant” sounds funny and the mythological “Revenant” is often spelled with “ie”. But GW2 has opted for this spelling. And it is indeed possible.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In the fantasy MMORPG World of Warcraft, the bots are rampant, especially in PvP and here in the battleground “The Eye of the Storm.”
It is no longer a secret or a taboo, but something that has become normalized in World of Warcraft: PvP is crawling with bots.
What caused outrage in a fresh MMORPG like The Elder Scrolls Online, ArcheAge, or WildStar last year, and was seen as a clear sign that the developers are incompetent, has somehow become the norm for WoW over the years.
But a blatant example like in this video is also rare. A YouTuber is in “The Eye of the Storm” in World of Warcraft, until he notices the strange behavior of fellow players and opponents…
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Will a bot-versus-bot tournament be announced soon?
The assumption that the players may all be users of a very specific bot, which is the most widespread in the scene, is notably dismissed in a comment under the video by one of the developers of this bot, who finds it dishonorable. His bot is not that obvious, it even attacks players on a mount, it must be a competing product…
Perhaps soon there will be the first pure bot battlegrounds in World of Warcraft – or do they already exist and no one is left to report it? Maybe we could even turn it into a tournament? After all, the best programs compete against each other in chess to determine the winner.
The causes run deeper
And now seriously: The PvP in World of Warcraft has had a design problem for a long time, or at least it is perceived that way. The “exciting” arena matches and rated battlegrounds are accepted by players. The way there, in the eyes of many, involves more or less tedious grinding in “older” battlegrounds that no longer excite anyone.
Or players who have nothing to do with PvP go in to complete specific achievements.
The PvP, especially in battlegrounds, is a topic that Blizzard should seriously reconsider. In today’s game design, it is assumed that a bot problem cannot be solved with the banhammer but rather through design decisions, as bots indicate that there are lucrative parts of the game that can be performed without any spirit and thus also without any fun.
In PvE, the famous mining bots, which used to endlessly circle the world until they spotted a vein, have been rendered obsolete with some changes. In PvP, however, it seems not yet. And when you look at it that way, the thought comes to mind: They’re riding again.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In the fantasy MMO Guild Wars 2, a major announcement is set to take place today in Texas. The exact details are still unknown, but all signs point to the announcement of an expansion.
There hasn’t been this much activity around ArenaNet’s fantasy MMO Guild Wars 2 in a while. Today, they’ve rented a hall at a convention in Texas, advertised worldwide, launched a special discount event, and even promoted the event in-game at the end of the last episode of the Living World. One would have to be living under a rock (or in an area without internet) to not be aware that something “special” is happening in GW2 today.
Much is known, but not what it is
So what is it really about? No one knows for sure yet. With all the hype, anything less than a full-fledged expansion would be a disappointment. Fans of GW2 are longing for such an expansion, as the initial momentum of the game, the exploration of new zones, and all the fresh ideas have noticeably waned after two years.
The initial concept of bringing fleeting content to the game for a short time has now been abandoned. That didn’t work out. But what plans do they have next?
What we know: The name and the story line
At least we already know the name of what is to be announced tonight at 5:30 PM our time: Heart of Thorns.
We also know what this is all about. The storyline is clear since the last episode of the Living World. One-fifth of the hero population of Tyria has been in an identity crisis since then. Have they acted against their nature and were actually created to serve the upcoming “Big Bad”?
What we don’t know: Everything else
We know the name, and also the storyline: but much more is still unknown. The key questions revolve around everything else.
Will it be a full-fledged expansion of Guild Wars 2, and if so, what features will be new to the game?
Will there be new races and classes?
Will some of the fundamental game concepts be broken?
Will there be new zones, a new continent, new endgame content?
What does GW2 have in store to give fans a breath of fresh air?
ArenaNet has chosen a German live stream for the event this evening. The German fan site Guildnews and the YouTuber Honeyball will host.
Action in Texas starts at 5 PM. First information is to be expected at 5:30 PM.
We will accompany the live event with a live ticker.
http://www.twitch.tv/honeyballgames
4:30 PM: Good evening everyone and welcome to the GW2 live ticker! Just half an hour to go until the show starts.
4:40 PM: The streamers are currently discussing with the German Guild Wars 2 community manager. He lets Honeyball and Guildnews speculate about today’s announcement and is obviously having fun with it. There’s already reassurance: Guild Wars 1 will not be discontinued, despite “No Return” and such.
4:45 PM: Everyone is hyped. The wildest addon dreams are flooding the chats. Will elves and goblins come? Some suspect simply a massive continuation of the Living World, with new features. They apparently don’t want to be too disappointed later, should no expansion be announced.
5:00 PM: It should start any moment now, how exciting! By the way, anyone who has never played GW2 should take advantage of this now: The MMO is currently available for €9.99 on the official website.
5:10 PM: Phew, interest is huge. Almost 50,000 people are watching the announcement across all streams.
5:15 PM: A dragon awakens. The show has begun, everyone is cheering in Texas!
5:17 PM: Is only a cute Quaggan coming as a new race into the game? They do already have a backpack! That’s probably not the case, but Honeyball would be happy.
5:20 PM: In the audience, people are holding up commander tags made of cardboard above their heads. Is a battle about to begin? There are enough participants 😉
5:25 PM: Only 5 minutes until the announcement!
5:29 PM: A new soundtrack featuring the “Heart of Thorns” logo is being presented in the background. Things are looking good.
5:30 PM: ArenaNet President and Co-Founder Mike O’Brien enters the field.
Heart of Thorns confirmed as the first expansion to Guild Wars 2.
5:35 PM: Now we know: Heart of Thorns is the first expansion to Guild Wars 2, it is official! A really cool trailer just played. A lot of new content is coming our way! New wings! New zones! Rytlock with a new staff!
5:42 PM: There will be no level increase! The current armor remains valuable.
5:45 PM: Endgame progression will be more extensive and deeper! There will be a new system called “Masteries” which means mastery system. You will be able to further develop your abilities here. Specializations for classes were also mentioned. Apparently, there will be challenging content that is tough. Many fans have demanded that. And there will be more content for guilds and groups. We speculate raids here.
5:50 PM: Colin Johanson, the game director, announces a new zone. It goes into the jungle.
5:52 PM: In the new zone, Heart of Aguuma, there will of course be new stories, civilizations, and monsters, as well as new dynamic events, etc. According to Johanson, it will be better than ever before. Special skills will be needed to defeat enemies in the new zone, which will be obtained with the mastery system. The areas look fantastic and very detailed.
5:54 PM: The mastery system is a PvE progression system in the endgame that is account-bound. For all characters. You will be able to collect points in many ways!
5:55 PM: As hinted at in the trailer, with the new addon, you will be able to glide – this is called dragon flying and is a capability from the mastery system.
With our new mastery system, we will reshape character progression. Discover new training opportunities for your characters beyond level 80 and master abilities like dragon flying in the jungle and shredding the tough bark armor of the Mordrem, or complete new collections that provide precursors for a legendary weapon.
5:57 PM: The lore seems profound. Will we need to decipher languages?
6:00 PM: New legendaries and precursors are coming!
6:02 PM: Back to the class specializations:
Develop your playstyle. With class specializations, you’ll unlock not only a weapon that your class previously couldn’t use but also new traits, skills, and unique mechanics. All this allows you to completely reorient your class.
The ranger will, for example, use a staff and heal through a secondary class, the “Druid”. In the coming weeks, more information will come. All classes will receive new weapons.
6:05 PM: New class announced, “The Revenant“, will it confuse opponents with the powers of the mist?
6:07 PM: New WvW-PvP map Borderlands, where it will be even more important to hold fortresses and complete objectives. Even better: Players can look forward to a brand-new GvG map. 6:13 PM: The Stronghold mode offers guild rankings, and in general, it’s all about features that should strengthen guild cohesion. Guild teams, guild lords… Ay, now the old Guild Wars players are ecstatic.
Gather supplies to recruit soldiers. Battle for control of heroes. Man trebuchets to defend your fortress and storm the enemy fortress gates to defeat the opposing guild lord! Use the new guild team feature to form a group and fight your way to the top of the rankings. “Fortress” offers a completely new player experience for competitive PvP in Guild Wars 2!
6:15 PM: Guild halls, which can be expanded or built! So soon guilds will feel at home.
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[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]The MMO game Planetside 2 is primarily characterized by its massive battles. While games like Battlefield feature up to 64 players competing against each other, Planetside 2 accommodates up to 1,800 players on a huge battlefield.
The game follows a free-to-play model. However, those who wish can unlock new weapons and other gadgets for real money.
In terms of gameplay, Planetside 2 may initially seem quite similar to other first-person shooters. However, there are many details to consider that can initially overwhelm the player. It is worth overcoming this entry barrier, as the game rewards it with very intense battles that are rarely offered in other games.
And although it is not an online role-playing game, you encounter similar mechanics here: you are always striving to collect new weapons and equipment, and over time, the character develops further. This genre is commonly referred to as MMOFPS (The FPS stands for First Person Shooter, which denotes the typical first-person perspective in such games).
Planetside 2 – Fair Free to Play Model
The F2P model in Planetside 2 is thankfully hardly noticeable negatively. Even those who invest not a single cent in the game have a fair chance at any time.
The strongest items in the shop are indeed very expensive, but they are not necessarily required. Overall, Planetside 2 ranks among the best F2P shooters and is therefore highly recommended for any fan of the genre.
Features
The MMO Planetside 2 offers numerous interesting features that make it a true crowd favorite.
Massive Battles
In Planetside 2, players experience not only battles between a few dozen troops but also between thousands of troops, making the game dynamic and unpredictable.
Huge Open World
Players immerse themselves in an online world of gigantic size. The maps cover several dozen square kilometers and can be seamlessly traversed.
Human Intelligence
Since you play the F2P MMO shooter PS2 with and against real players, meaning you have no AI to deal with, battles can sometimes last several days and require a high level of teamwork.
Join an Empire
At the very beginning of the game, players have the option to join an empire, and this choice will affect the entire future gameplay. The advantage is that every player can join an empire that suits their nature. Do you want to take on the role of a rebel, freedom fighter, or terrorist? The choice is yours.
Wide Variety of Weapons
Players have access to numerous weapons and vehicles that they can partially unlock or purchase. These differ from one another and offer various possibilities for the further course of the game.
The fantasy MMO The Elder Scrolls Online will not maintain the same pace in 2015 as it did in 2014. According to Game Director Matt Firor, it is time to let TESO breathe.
The Elder Scrolls Online was developed at full steam in 2014. Core systems of the game were completely overhauled, and new features such as the Justice and Champion system were developed. This extreme redesign of The Elder Scrolls Online will now come to an end, according to Game Director Matt Firor in a discussion on Reddit.
The focus is on Tamriel Unlimited and the console port
Producer Matt Firor.
In the future, the focus will be more on bringing new adventures. The time for major system changes is over for now. So much new content has been brought in a short time that we need to take a breather and ensure everyone is on the same page. Alone with 1.6 comes a complete rebalancing of all abilities – we won’t do that again quickly, for example.
Update 6 will be the last major update before the launch on consoles. Currently, the focus is on bringing Tamriel Unlimited (the Buy2Play version) to PC and then managing the console launch.
The Game Director of The Elder Scrolls Online, Matt Firor, in the original text:
We are not going to keep up our 2014 pace of updates in 2015 – and our future update pace will focus more on new adventures and game experiences than system changes. It’s time to let the game breathe a little – we’ve done so many new features so quickly that we want to make sure everyone is on the same page with us. 1.6 alone has a complete rebalancing of most player abilities – we don’t want to do that again, for example. Our #1 priority right now is getting Tamriel Unlimited launched on PC, and then focusing on a successful console launch. While we do those things, we have other teams already working on DLC and expect to see that start rolling out at some point after console launch settles down.
Imperial City and Spellweaving?
In the same discussion on Reddit, players also ask about the two big ideas that are still missing from the planning. The Imperial City and its redesign of the PvP zone Cyrodiil and the Spellweaving, through which players can generate new abilities.
“Spellweaving” is still planned for the future. There was little concrete information about the “Imperial City” in the question session, likely because the PvP expert, Brian Wheeler, was not present.
After February, not much will likely happen in TESO until the end of the year
My MMO says: This may be the ugly side of the console transition now. In the coming months, not much else is likely to happen once Update 6 is here.
Next week, Update 6 is coming to the test server, it may go live in February, the transition to Buy2Play will occur in March, and the console port will be in June.
This is indeed a lot of work, without much changing for existing players in the world of Tamriel. Then perhaps at Zenimax, we will see that after the summer, in autumn and winter 2015, the first DLCs for The Elder Scrolls Online can be released, with new content, but probably without major changes to the game systems.
One can be curious about how all this will function: Especially since with Update 6 only a “provisional” Champion system and the first phase of the justice system will go live. The further phases of these systems, the Imperial City, and also the Spellweaving must then be planned as a “non-paid” part of DLCs towards the end of the year or for 2016.
These “DLCs” will more or less replace the current updates and have a paid part (new zones, dungeons, quests) and a “free” part that will then bring such “systems for everyone”. Or one can also detach them and then say: PvP with the Imperial City is only for subscribers. These will be exactly the important questions that will be raised in the future. What is premium content and what is part of the basic equipment in The Elder Scrolls Online?
We had predicted the console port in our forecast for September 2015, then there would have been more time to complete the existing plans. Apparently, Zenimax does not have that much time. A lot of work will now go into areas that do not directly and quickly benefit players. One can only hope that for PC players and TESO veterans there will not be a content drought from the end of February (Update 6 arrives) until the first DLC (maybe August/September).
The developer team of The Elder Scrolls Online answered Reddit users in a large question session. For the part that deals with the details of the console port, go here.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Tricks with the Sparrow are a big deal in the MMO shooter Destiny. Now there’s a kind of rodeo on Mars with prizes to be won, coming directly from Bungie.
The fan site “That Wizard came from the moon” is announcing the first annual interplanetary Sparrow freestyle championship. And they have a pretty crazy video for it. To participate in the event, the EV-30-Tumbler is needed along with a YouTube channel. In the German client, it’s called the Sparrow S-30 Tumbler.
The Tumbler was given to pre-order customers of the DLC “Darkness Awaits”. Only with this so-called “stunt-Sparrow” are some of the advanced tricks possible – we have summarized a few of them.
http://youtu.be/8nBLaoHgSiQ
To participate in the competition, you should record a video of your best Sparrow tricks. The video should definitely take place on Mars. You will then post this highlight reel with the hashtag #TWCFTM by no later than February 7 on your YouTube channel. Then a complicated selection process will take place, and the winners will be announced on February 22. Further details can be found here.
For the first place, there is to win an original framed artwork from Destiny in three panels that shows a fireteam on Mars (so to speak, a “RL” painting that serves as a template for the aesthetics in the digital game). Bungie has announced that they will look into whether there are more prizes available.
Looks like a lot of fun, or as the organizers say: “If your Sparrow isn’t on fire, you’re not doing it right.”
Sparrow racing was the hype last year – will the trend return?
Experimenting and tricking with the Sparrow is one of the “iconic” things to do in Destiny. A few months after release, there was a real hype when Guardians discovered what was possible with the Sparrow. Suddenly, Guardians were jumping on the Sparrow over the Hellmouth, performing the craziest tricks or even dancing.
The enthusiasm was so great for a short time that Bungie assigned someone to create a special stunt-Sparrow, the Tumbler S-30, which then served as a bonus for Darkness Awaits and may have influenced some in their purchasing decision.
By now, the Sparrow enthusiasm has died down a bit. Maybe this event can reignite the fire.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
A new patch is coming for H1Z1 . It is supposed to solve the loot problems and hide nameplates when players are sneaking.
The zombie MMO H1Z1 is still working on the details. The loot scarcity plagues the game in Early Access still. Especially since the servers are relatively full, but the containers and the world are so empty. This makes the game seem much more boring than intended, as hardly anyone finds anything good. In some reports, H1Z1 is even referred to as the “Boredom” or “Blueberry” simulator. On reddit, a user laid down a message made of rotten meat, stating that it is the only thing he finds.
In the meantime, it seemed that SOE had fixed the problem, but that didn’t last long. Because the “respawn” of the loot caused issues. In the current patch, which is supposed to be rolled out on Friday night to Saturday, they want to fix it. SOE is confident that it will succeed this time.
The red placeholder models are possible spawn locations for items.
Another change: When players crouched, basically switching to a kind of “stealth mode,” their nameplates were still clearly visible until now. Players extensively mocked this rather illogical oversight, as the time for such jokes like “Wow, you’re such a ninja. I have no idea where you are!” should come to an end.
The H1Z1 servers are scheduled to go down at 0:45 and remain down for 2 hours.
The complete patch notes in English:
Revised loot spawn rules
Your nameplate will not display while prone.
Fixed Metal Doors to open/close/lock/unlock properly.
Punji stick traps, dew collectors, and rabbit traps will now slowly decay over time. They can be repaired with a hammer.
Punji sticks have lower health and should be a little easier to remove.
Spool of twine now has a unique icon.
The arrow recipe now produces one arrow instead of two.
Increased placed barricade resistance to damage.
Slightly raised the chance to harvest usable cloth from dead zombies.
Metal pipes, metal sheets, and hunting rifles can be melted down in furnaces for metal bars.
There were two Calamity (EU) servers. One has been renamed to Collapse (EU). Please check the green character indicator on the far left of server select to see if which server your character is on.
The ground tamper item has been disabled and the recipe to make it is no longer discoverable
Improved Vehicle Survivability
Rotten food has been removed from the fridge spawners
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In the fantasy MMO The Elder Scrolls Online, TESO will be playable with a controller on PC, and players on the Playstation 4 will be able to use a keyboard.
The good news: This has now been officially confirmed.
The bad news: It will take longer than many had hoped, as was confirmed by Zenimax in a large open Q&A on reddit (along with a mountain of other details). The ability to play The Elder Scrolls Online with a controller on PC is only planned for a time after the console launch in June.
PC players are also expected to take over direct voice chat from the consoles. That is also planned for a time after June.
Later, players will also experience the console UI on PC. For this console interface, Zenimax will also draw inspiration from some popular add-ons for PC TESO, as there will be no “add-on” support on the consoles.
Conversely, it will be possible to plug a keyboard into the Playstation 4 to use the “chatbox” and message.
Own mega-servers for PS4 and XBox One – the planned resolution and other details
Further technical and organizational details about “TESO on consoles” have also been announced:
The planned resolution for Xbox One and Playstation 4 is 1080p/30fps.
In the long term, they want to allow Playstation players to play The Elder Scrolls Online on the go using a PS Vita; they have already experimented with this. However, it is not guaranteed that such a “remote support” will be ready by the console launch in June. At the moment, there are still some technical difficulties.
PC players and Mac players will share a mega-server. Xbox One and Playstation 4 players will each receive their own mega-server.
There will be no offline mode for the consoles.
The offerfor the account transfer from PC TESO to Xbox One/Playstation 4 TESO, when the PC TESO was purchased before June 30, 2014, still stands. Players whose accounts are “eligible” for this transfer will be contacted accordingly. The offer has a price of €14.99.
Before the console launch, there will be a beta for Xbox One and Playstation 4.
We will publish another article on mein-mmo.de about the further plans for The Elder Scrolls Online and the exact process of the new “Buy2Play” model. The reddit Q&A was very extensive.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The MOBA Evolve is expected to run on the consoles Playstation 4 and Xbox One at 1080p with 60 frames per second. Turtle Rock hopes to achieve this by launch, and will definitely address it in the future.
The site Gamingbolt had the opportunity to speak with Evolve’s producer, Chloe Skew. The topic was the resolution at which the game is supposed to run on consoles. Skew stated that they aim for a resolution of 1080p/60fps, if not at launch, then in the future.
Meanwhile, the tech experts from Eurogamer have thoroughly tested the beta version of Evolve. These results, however, give little hope. On the Playstation 4, the Evolve beta reached 1080p/30fps, while on the Xbox One the monster game managed to achieve 900p/30fps.
Gamingbolt believes that Evolve can only reach the promised ideal values with a Day-One patch. After all, the game is already in gold status, so it’s completed.
PC owners don’t have to worry about such things. According to a report from PC Games Hardware, Evolve runs smoothly there. Well, they would never put it that way. In their words:
With our overclocked R9 290X (1.150/3.000 MHz), Evolve always ran smoothly, even after we raised the resolution via VSR to 2560 x 1600 pixels, the frame rates rarely fell below the 60 FPS set by VSync with maximum details, the graphics memory usage stabilized at around 3.9 gigabytes at 1600p.
Story about DLC controversy continues to simmer
Another story is currently making the rounds about Evolve. The online magazine destructoid uses the controversy over high DLC prices as a reason to recount a conversation between the magazine and Turtle Rock co-founder Phil Robb.
The article conveys the impression that Robb has remained a “gamer geek” who goes to the office in a hoodie instead of a suit, does not hold back his words, and says things that the press agents, the “suit types,” do not appreciate.
However, it seems that Robb is also somewhat trapped in the corporate structure and bound by the laws of the market. The core message of the article, which is based on an “interview from the end of last year,” is that Turtle Rock does not want to give the impression of starting any shady dealings with the DLC:
I don’t like people thinking we’re doing underhanded, dirty shit!
Weapons in Destiny currently only go up to a damage value of 331. Due to a bug, legendary weapons that can rise up to 365 are already in the game.
Guardians on Reddit initially thought it was a bad joke or a skilled Photoshop, when the image of a 365 Pulse Rifle “Time on Target” first appeared. But there seems to be some truth to it.
Another player then posted a picture of a weapon from his little brother, which was also a 365 Fusion Rifle of the Vanguard, called “Plug One.1”
And the potentially most powerful weapon in Destiny has … a level 7 Guardian
The mystery behind these weapons seems to be clarified. It appears that these weapons are created as follows:
Guardian X has a trial version of Destiny (which only goes to level 7).
Guardian X had this trial version before Christmas.
However, Guardian X did not open the gift (like any reasonable person), but only now after the last hotfix.
Guardian X now goes to the Postmaster and boom, random legendary Vanguard weapon with maximum damage of 365 as a level 7 Guardian.
It is likely that this will be fixed soon. In any case, very few players are likely to be affected, and it is also unknown whether this weapon will remain upon switching to the full version. (Before that, it doesn’t do anything anyway). At the moment it is also unclear whether this worked on all systems or only with players who were in Destiny’s demo on the Xbox 360.
There is currently no official statement or response from Bungie.
Not the first oddity with the demo version and Postmaster in Destiny
Bungie has already encountered a similar problem twice in Destiny. On one occasion, the “Wrap of the Pit“, even before it was in the game, was already available for some mini-guardians in the trial version to find. This drove the “big” Guardians nearly to madness back then.
And recently there was a strange occurrence after a hotfix: If players had previously received packages for completing public events that were stored at the Postmaster, they suddenly gave glimmer materials. But only those specific packages.
The number “365” as the new base damage of weapons likely indicates that the next DLC “House of Wolves” will increase the maximum damage value significantly. A preview of which weapons and armor will be added with “House of Wolves”, you can find here.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In the superhero MMO DC Universe Online, the next DLC is Amazon Fury II. In a video, you can already see how developers and testers perform in the Halls of Hades.
Superheroes in the Greek Underworld – this will happen soon in the superhero and supervillain MMO DC Universe Online on Playstation and PC. Testers and some developers have already ventured into the Halls of Hades and showcase the new raid in DC Universe Online with live commentary in a video.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The sandbox MMO ArcheAge aims to change quite a bit and improve many aspects in 2015: more transparency, a more stable economy, and more content.
The sandbox MMO ArcheAge has had a terrible image problem since early November. At that time, Auroria failed. Players had worked for 6 weeks towards the opening of this island. At the launch in the USA, half of the players could not log in. This can only be described as a “disaster.”
Even before and after that, there were serious problems in the game, which meant that the initial rush to the Free2Play game turned out to be a flash in the pan. By the end of the year, ArcheAge faced a lot of mockery and ridicule, but above all anger. However, there are also players who were unaffected by all this and continue to have a lot of fun in the game. The general mood among former players is, however, poor, at least for those who are heard from.
In 2015, a new breeze is supposed to sweep through ArcheAge. A new producer, Merv Lee Kwai, addresses the community in a letter and announces the following changes:
More transparency – From now on, players should be better informed about what Trion Worlds plans and what is currently happening. Streams, social networks, and the forum will be used for this purpose. Players should know what Trion Worlds is planning for the future of ArcheAge.
Easier access to dungeons – This has already been addressed in a patch, which is now live, where players should have easier (and cheaper) access to the instances.
More stable economy – Recently, some items in the auction house have become far too expensive, especially related to regrade materials or Archeum crystals. They want to counteract this, not like before with the lightning trees, but in a much more controlled manner. Therefore, they are now starting to introduce certain items into the game via “Divine Gifts.”
Desired items as loyalty rewards – Trion Worlds has decided to grant desirable cosmetic items (so-called vanity items) through loyalty points, with the sloth glider initiating this program.
No power to hackers – They want to crack down harder on cheats and hacks in 2015 than ever before.
General improvements – Trion Worlds wants to introduce a better spam filter in ArcheAge, listen more to the fans, and therefore also lift the glider and mount “normalization,” so faster mounts are really faster. Events like a PvP arena or a fishing tournament are also supposed to be introduced. Additionally, they want to set a limit on how many scaffolds a player can place.
New challenges – Furthermore, the next content expansion is soon to come, the Diamond Shore, level 55, and new challenges in instances.
Mein MMO says: Better late than never, of course. The limit on how many scaffolds a player can place … that would have made a significant difference back in October and sent a clear signal. Now it’s the end of January, and it will still take a while for this to be implemented. For many who were upset over the significant issue of “land grabbing and reselling at high prices” through unscrupulous methods, the clock has long run out. The sense of justice of many players has been damaged in recent months in ArcheAge, and this is something they can only slowly and with difficulty forgive.
A Free2Play game with the potential of ArcheAge will hopefully and likely continue to attract new players who want to give the game a chance. But until the worst anger dies down and the damage to its image is repaired, it will likely take some time. And Trion Worlds will need to show that they want to and can deliver.
At least in this producer letter, there were open words and it was clearly stated that changes need to be made and will be made. The last statements from Trion Worlds, even in December, sounded more like: “You are exaggerating, everything is fine here.”
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Xur is visiting the MMO Destiny on Friday, January 23. What exotic weapons and armor does he have this time? And which items will you be able to upgrade with him?
Xur is rich. Last weekend in Destiny, he earned over 19 million strange coins. It’s about time for a “My Crib” video, where he dances through his villa on Jupiter and shows off his bling-bling.
Xur is powerful. What he sells, people have, and what he doesn’t sell is coveted. This is shown by all surveys and statistics among players. The Gjallarhorn and Thunderlord are now among the most sought-after weapons: The Gjallarhorn (the “G” is silent) was available only in the second week, while the Thunderlord has not been available yet. The Icebreaker, which he had with him last week, is now over a million times more common in the world of Destiny. These are dimensions that have an impact on daily life. Xur is the Warlord of Destiny.
Xur is being imitated. The fake account we told you about last week, which claims to be an important Bungie employee (though no one knows him), has once again heavily criticized Xur this week and even held a kind of press conference (an AMA on reddit): Gjallarhorn is supposed to drop in the next 4 weeks!
So writes a super-serious website that sees the fake account as an absolutely reliable info source for Destiny. This site also reports on four-headed dragon babies in India, the perfect way to lose 70 kilos fast, and Elvis sightings. Oh yes, and in the week when Xur had the Icebreaker, their big Destiny story was: “Bungie has permanently removed the Icebreaker from Xur’s inventory.” Coolio.
Everything about Xur, the Agent of the Nine, on January 23, 24, and 25 in Destiny
When does the black market trader Xur come to the Tower and when does he leave again?
Xur arrives on January 23 at 10:00 AM German time in the Tower and leaves again on Sunday, January 25, at 10:00 AM
Where is Xur? What is his position, his location?
Xur is located with the Vanguard’s armor masters. Here in a video from our homies at ziro.tv you can see his location. http://youtu.be/8p-ZkciD7sQ
What is the deal with the numbers on the exotic armors?
In Destiny, exotic armors always have the same properties, but different values in Strength, Discipline, and Intellect. This means that two “Sunbreakers” may be identical in build but can have different values in Intellect. The higher this value is, the better. This is referred to as a “roll”, and this value is rolled. You can find more about this topic in this article.
What armor does Xur have this week for Hunters, Warlocks, and Titans? And what exotic weapon?
Xur is selling this week for 17 strange coins the exotic sniper rifle “No Land Beyond” (Kein Land Ausserhalb). The weapon has managed to perform poorly in both the PvP and PvE rankings, even though some do quite well with it. Xur last had it on offer 4 weeks ago.
For Warlocks, he is once again selling the exotic DLC chest Starfire Protocol. He had it a couple of weeks ago and the week before that. This week it has 128/137 Intellect. The chest costs 13 strange coins.
For Titans, the DLC boots “Type 44 Offside.” He last had them on offer three weeks ago. This time they have 112/120 Strength and Xur charges 13 strange coins for them.
For Hunters, he is selling the exotic DLC boots Radiant Dance Machines. With impressive 137/147 Strength. He is selling these disco shoes for 13 strange coins.
Additionally, this week there is an exotic helmet engram, but no synthesis for heavy ammo.
Which weapons and armors can Xur upgrade this week?
Xur can upgrade six exotic armors and six or seven exotic weapons each week. However, this only applies to “old” exotic armors with a light level of a maximum of 30 or “old” exotic weapons with a maximum damage of 300. There’s no point in trading 36 light armors or 331 light weapons. You can read here how the exchange works. The only exotic weapon he cannot upgrade, is the Vex Mythoclast. The new version of the weapon is 14.5% stronger than the old one.
These exotic weapons he upgrades this week:
The pulse rifle Bad Karma
The shotgun Defiance
The other shotgun Universal Remote
The exotic machine gun Thunderlord
The rocket launcher Gjallarhorn
The other rocket launcher Truth
And PS-exclusive: The hand cannon Hawkmoon
These exotic armors Xur upgrades this week
For Hunters the Weakhead Radar (110/118)
and the helmet Achlyophage Symbiote (90/97)
For Titans the Helm of Inmost Light (98/105)
and the Mark of Alpha Lupi, a chest (134/144)
For Warlocks the Helm of Light Behind Nemesis (weak 86/92)
and the gloves Sunbreaker (99/107)
Well … Xur probably won’t make record sales with this.
More about the somewhat sadistic MMO shooter from Bungie can be found on our Destiny theme page. And by the way: Those who wonder why the post was only available at 10:05 AM and not as usual at 9:45 AM… you can thank the merciless F5 junkies of the last weeks! That’s our revenge!
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
As SMITE has released a new god again this month, we couldn’t miss the opportunity to share this with you! Therefore, we are once again giving away three codes that allow you to unlock the new god along with his alternate appearance!
Hou Yi originates from the Chinese pantheon and is also known as the “great hunter”; it was he who shot down nine of the ten suns of the Jade Emperor from the sky to free the people from the scorching heat. In anger over this act, the Jade Emperor cursed Hou Yi and his wife Chang’e with mortality.
Although the great hunter managed to find an elixir of immortality that was supposed to elevate him and his wife back to the status of gods, this never happened: the potion was stolen and only Chang’e could drink her part of it. Too much for a single body, it banished the dancer to the moon – and the couple is still waiting to be reunited. http://youtu.be/SPutAnV5pl8
In SMITE Hou Yi is, as expected, a hunter and is particularly suited as a counter god for stealth characters such as Loki or Serqet.
His passive ability grants him three seconds of immunity against critical hits whenever he suffers one, and his “Mark of the Golden Crow” allows him to see enemies even through stealth and walls. Coupled with “Ricochet”, a shot that bounces off objects and can therefore be shot around corners, it makes him a deadly surprise for any assassin. “Dive Bomb” additionally allows him to fly briefly over the battlefield and seek a new position. Lastly, with “Sunbreaker”, he can summon the nine suns he shot down, which deal damage in a large area and slow down all targets afflicted during the duration of “Mark of the Golden Crow”.
[intense_blockquote color=”#ffec7d” border_color=”#00d3e6″]
If you have discovered the latest hunter for yourself and want to try him out along with his recolor “Sunbreaker”, just leave a comment under this post and you will be entered into the draw for one of the three codes. But hurry, the competition lasts only until January 26, 2015 at 8 PM! Good luck to all participants![/intense_blockquote]
The competition is now over!
SMITE is a free-to-play MOBA featuring playable gods from mythology, and its third-person perspective and telegraph system brings the gameplay experience very close to that of an MMO. Want more? Then be sure to read our review of SMITE.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Destiny this week there is a new Crucible mode: In “Doubles Skirmish,” two teams of two Guardians each compete for victory.
Bungie is coming up with something new for the Crucible. The “New Monarchy” declares a new Skirmish format. Only in pairs will Guardians venture into the Crucible and meet two other Guardians to test their strength against each other. Level advantages will be disabled (so it is not an Iron Banner variant), but the usual Skirmish, just that instead of three Guardians, you will only go into the Deathmatch with two.
Since there are only a few players, the regeneration time of the Super will be extended. In addition, there should only be heavy ammunition once per match. Maybe it’s a preview of the planned Inferno mode, when PvP designer Lars Bakken says you should rely only on your mind, your weapon, and your wingman.
The goal is slower, harder battles, where it will also be about reviving your teammates. This is already attractive in Skirmish because there are big bonus points for it.
With only two Guardians on each team, it will be even harder to place blame on others. Everyone should be able to show what they are made of.
The first reports are quite positive. They say there are small maps where the individual really matters and where strategic play is key. Knowledge of the maps and timing when to activate the Super is especially important.
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Sure, not every Destiny player is thrilled about PvP and some wish for more PvE content, but this is already a good start. In the Weekly Update that introduced the mode, Bungie promised that there will be more news in the coming weeks. They say they will tirelessly work on the game to continue its development.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
