In the film comedy “Back to the Future Part II,” it was the hoverboard, and in the free-to-play MMO Rift, it is the hoverbike that you can now ride across Telara. The new bowlight rider mounts are available as part of an event and are only available for a limited time.
The bowlight rider mounts resemble a flying sci-fi motorcycle. In the eponymous event “Rise of the Bowlight Riders,” you can secure one of these spacey speedsters. You can either earn the bike through a quest chain in the Moonshadow Mountains or, with a bit of luck, find the moped in the bowlight treasure chests. But beware: the event ends on January 22. After all, it is just a “prototype” that is being tested for its suitability:
The Institute for Plane Research is currently testing a new prototype of a high-octane, multi-purpose, reactor-supported, beryllium-inducing, kinetic energy vehicle – better known as the bowlight rider – and is in need of crazy… uh, brave test pilots.
Here you see the bowlight rider on a test drive:
http://youtu.be/JS-rLYmkw90
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In December, according to Raptr, World of Warcraft, Smite, SWTOR, and Hearthstone prove to be strong and show significant increases, while the sand park MMO ArcheAge drops by 22%.
The Raptr numbers for December are in. They indicate how many hours Raptr users have spent in individual PC games. We present the statistics to you from month to month. Since the numbers are relatively stable, a trend can be discerned regarding how the individual games develop. However, one cannot really speak of a ranking, as the group of over 20 million Raptr users likely does not represent the global player base sufficiently.
World of Warcraft and Hearthstone the big winners in December
Blizzard had an excellent December. In December, player numbers are anyway 5% higher than in November, and the big beneficiaries were two Blizzard products. At Hearthstone, the expansion “Goblins vs Gnomes” was released, and playtime increased sharply by 63%.
At World of Warcraft, one might have expected a somewhat weaker result in December compared to November, as hardcore players are already at level 100 and have returned to a more normal rhythm. The opposite is the case: WoW was able to gain almost 10% and is thus very strong in second place behind League of Legends.
ArcheAge in free fall
Things do not look so strong for the MMO ArcheAge. Indeed, Raptr is precisely the statistic where ArcheAge can shine. Because Raptr tracks hours, and ArcheAge rewards players for every hour logged in, even if they are doing nothing, with additional energy.
However, ArcheAge was alongside Diablo 3 the only game that lost playtime from the Top 20. Compared to November, players spent 22% less time.
World of Tanks, Smite, Star Wars: The Old Republic all increase
While it was relatively quiet during the Christmas period for Guild Wars 2 and Final Fantasy XIV, other games saw significant increases in December:
The action MOBA Smite is slowly establishing itself at the top. With a new god and a lucrative event, Smite increased playtime by 21% compared to November.
World of Tanks had its 9.5 patch and several events in December. This brought the tank game from Wargaming an increase in playtime of 26%.
And at Star Wars: The Old Republic, the long-awaited expansion about Revan was released in December. Players with Raptr spent 33% more hours in SWTOR than in November.
The MMO shooter Destiny is receiving awards despite some harsh criticism and is ranking high on sales charts.
The MMO shooter Destiny is on a winning streak and is starting the year with several victories. And this is despite some poor reviews that are taken in stride. For instance, a photo was tweeted from an internal event at Bungie showcasing a team shirt featuring the ignominious score of “6 out of 10” from Polygon.
It has now been revealed that Destiny was the best-selling PlayStation 4 game in the PlayStation Store, at least in terms of digital sales. On PlayStation 3, it was the fourth most purchased game of the year in the store.
In the “Game of the Year” voting by the PlayStation Blog, where fans voted, it took first place on the PlayStation 4, while on PlayStation 3 it was the second most popular title behind Dark Souls.
Furthermore, Destiny was able to snag a few smaller awards for Game of the Year, and also won two trophies at the Game Awards in Vegas and is now nominated for the DICE 2014.
The Reddit thread about Destiny has made it into the top 200 of all subreddits, which may sound lame, but is quite an achievement.
Forbes names Destiny as the most disappointing game of the year and one of the best
The criticism does not tire of addressing the failures. Forbes chose Destiny as the “biggest gaming disappointment of 2014.” At the same time, however, Destiny made it onto the list of the “Best Games of 2014” from the same site.
To clarify, the magazine stated that several editors were involved in the selection process and they could not come to a consensus in the case of Destiny. The disappointment with Destiny is primarily because it did not deliver the huge story and fantastic world that Bungie promised and that fans expected.
Destiny was chosen as one of the best games of 2014 because some editors could not resist the pull of the shooter. They are still playing it today. So it seems for some testers.
Even though they gave Destiny a 6 out of 10 back then.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The fantasy MMO The Elder Scrolls Online could soon be played with gamepads, like an Xbox controller.
Observant fans noticed during the last ESO Live that footage there, in gameplay sequences, featured a “Press A” and it had a “circle.” Hmm!
Initially, fans on reddit speculated that there might already be “images of the consoles,” but that seems rather wishful thinking.
Much more likely seems to be that TESO could soon support controllers and gamepads, perhaps with Update 6. This was thought of and announced a while ago (in Update 3), and now it could be the time. However, this is not officially confirmed.
This was stated in the patch notes for Update 3:
Gamepad We are in the early stages of adding PC support for gamepad input. Several functions for querying trigger, stick, and button states will appear in the documentation, but these functions have not yet been enabled.
For TESO, such gamepad support would make sense, especially because many associate The Elder Scrolls with the last single-player installment, Skyrim. It was a hit on consoles, particularly on Xbox.
For the technically inclined or the more adventurous: There are currently also ways to play The Elder Scrolls Online with a gamepad using third-party apps. On the US site Cinemablend there is a step-by-step guide. This YouTube video also explains it:
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Details about Borderlands Online have emerged, an MMO version of the popular “Loot’n Shoot” gaming franchise.
In China, gaming has developed differently than in the West. Hardly anyone has a strong computer at home, gaming takes place in Internet cafes. And MMOs are popular there. Some observers attribute this popularity of Internet cafes to the fact that due to the one-child policy in China, young gamers long for the community of such a place.
Anyway: This situation is partly leading to interesting developments. Companies are developing “online versions” exclusively for China of well-known Western franchises. So after a “Call of Duty Online,” there will indeed be a “Borderlands Online” specifically for the Chinese market. We have already reported on the announcement of the shooter.
According to mmoculture, a site specialized in Asia-focused MMOs, it will be a so-called looby shooter.
Players can embark from the 3 villages of the game in 6 instances each. In total, there will be 18 different instances. Borderlands Online will feature 4 classes and 2000 weapons distributed across 5 weapon classes. The pistol can be used by every class, while the other 4 weapon types will be assigned to one of the classes each.
The Classes of Borderlands Online and Their Weapons
The Soldier, who can also deploy turrets, will use the assault rifle.
The Siren wields a submachine gun and can summon a flaming bird.
The Hunter is a friend of the rifle and has a flying drone that weakens enemies, allowing them to take more damage.
And the Berserker loves the shotgun and can achieve increased health regeneration and attack speed through his roar.
A first test of the game is scheduled to take place at the end of January. There’s also a teaser trailer available:
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In the zombie MMO H1Z1, the promised fixes for the Air Drops that caused so much trouble have now been implemented. Next on the list is the loud and frequent rain, and there should be more loot to find in the world.
The previous version of the Air Drops faced a lot of criticism. SOE reacted quickly. Now the Air Drops 2.0 in the game include weapons much less frequently and are even harder for the player to loot, who paid 5 euros for it.
The reaction to the fix is quite mixed in the corresponding thread on reddit. Many still have reservations about the Air Drops themselves because they see a “Pay2Win” component in them. Others criticize that it breaks the “immersion,” the feeling of a cohesive world, when these huge planes come roaring in. Such a thing does not fit into a zombie scenario. However, there are also some who find the Air Drops in this form “okay.”
Another fix from H1Z1 disables the rain for the time being. It was too loud, it rained constantly, and it didn’t go as planned. For the time being, there will be a drought in the world of H1Z1.
going to be a drought in H1Z1 for a bit. need to fix raining all the time. Will be off for a day while we do.
The next steps for H1Z1, which may still take place on Saturday night, see the following fixes planned:
Significantly more loot in the world.
Hunger and thirst should become less of a problem and the corresponding bars will move more slowly.
The server frame rate should become more stable, which is being worked on. Once that’s fixed, the zombies would also act much more aggressively, Smedley promises. At the moment, H1Z1 is in an Easy Mode.
The G29 issue will be addressed with high priority. The technicians believe they have found a fix for this.
The event servers Battle Royale still need fine-tuning; at the moment, SOE is not accepting any tickets until they are satisfied with it.
200 additional EU servers are planned for Tuesday.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In the Zombie MMO H1Z1 , the first hacks have now appeared. Players can apparently fly, there is an aimbot, a kind of radar, and they can find out where the so-called airdrops land.
H1Z1 is still in early access, so difficulties are to be expected. However, hack reports are never good and concerning. Especially in an environment where life or death is as critical as in the zombie apocalypse of SOE, fair play is essential.
An atmosphere where every death makes players question whether everything was above board would be extremely detrimental to the fun and success of the game.
Reports and links to such hack tools have now surfaced. The forum of the US MMO site mmorpg.com features the following .gif.
SOE has stated in advance that avoiding hacks will be one of the strong points of H1Z1. Here, they have gathered a lot of experience with Planetside 2 and developed strong protection. H1Z1 and Planetside 2 are based on the same engine.
It remains to be seen how and how quickly SOE will respond to these issues during early access.
Update 23:00: There is a statement from SOE president John Smedley on this. This is a situation they are paying the utmost attention to. When they launch, they get an overview of what people wanted to do, then they watch them do it, and then they act very strongly and ban them. Players will soon realize that SOE is acting here very quickly and regularly.
Smedley speaks of banning cheaters into the “world of scumbags” where they belong. The word “nuclear” was mentioned in this context.
This is a situation we are extremely on top of. When we first launch we get a good survey of what people want to do.. we watch them do it, then we ban them into the nether world of scumbaggery they belong in. You’ll be seeing us ban and shut down the few things we see on a regular and very rapid response basis. What we have is extremely robust in terms of detection and prevention. Now that we started with detection, you’ll be seeing the prevention go nuclear.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Destiny, Warlocks can buy the exotic helm “Obsidian Mind” from Xur this week. We will tell you why this is a good idea in this article.
“Buy Icebreaker for 17 strange coins, or you will regret it later!” This is currently echoing from all corners of the Destiny cosmos. And of course, that is true. The solar sniper rifle Icebreaker generates such hype that players are even resorting to obscure rituals to get it.
This week, however, we want to focus on another exotic item: The helm “Obsidian Mind”. This is a new exotic Warlock helm that came to Destiny with “Darkness Awaits”. You hear about it surprisingly often, especially from the pros: “Warlocks, buy Obsidian Mind!” What is that about?
Embrace the Void, Bro
The helm “Obsidian Mind” (Obsidian Mind) is particularly interesting for Voidwalkers among the Warlocks. It essentially has two major abilities:
With Inverse Shadow, you gain more Super when you kill enemies.
And Insatiable increases your Super when you use your Super, by about 10% for each Nova Bomb kill: that’s super-super, as a well-known football coach would say.
This means that the “Nova Bomb,” the Super of the Void Warlock, can be used significantly more frequently and much faster than without this helm.
This tempts Warlocks into all sorts of mischief. Here, one is taking on the “Exclusion Zone”, the known Glimmer farming spot on Mars and achieves astonishing results.
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The actual destructive power of the Obsidian Mind is seen by most Warlocks in PvE; other exotic items are likely more sought after in the Crucible.
In the video from Mars, the YouTuber also provides a build recommendation for the Voidwalker Warlock. Another popular build is suggested by a user on Reddit.
So, is the helm worth the 13 strange coins that Xur wants for it? Let’s ask this gentleman:
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TERA is no longer in a crisis but is releasing one update after another. With the Blade Dancer a new class was introduced, followed by a large dungeon pack and many events. And then came the largest expansion in the history of the action MMO: Fate of Arun.
But as nice as that sounds, those of us who are experts know: Something is missing. Where is the guild housing? The US producer finally provides answers.
The action MMO is experiencing its second spring. The servers are well populated, and it is probably also doing well financially. With Fate of Arun, the level cap has been raised by five levels, classes can finally access a broader skill repertoire, there are new zones to explore, and of course also dungeons, once again.
However, those who ventured a look into the far east discovered that there with the expansion, guild competitions were also introduced . Guilds that perform best in this “competition” are rewarded with impressive flying fortresses in the sky. These can also be customized and expanded if the members of a guild pull together, complete tasks, and provide materials.
In a producer letter on tera.enmasse.com, the American publisher En Masse now addresses the fans and explains the background of why the content of Fate of Arun had to be split.
This time it is not the translation’s fault
When publishers of Asian imports are questioned by players due to significantly delayed patches, the operators consistently justify themselves with the complicated processes of localization. As recently also Gameforge did with Aion.
It is all the more refreshing when the standard answer is merely mentioned in passing: “We often talk about translations, but translations are not everything for a patch like this to release it here (I wish it were so!)”, says US producer Treeshark.
For this update, it is much more about the adjustments to the western client and the server structure. In Korea, there are no different server types like in the west, but PvE and PvP mixed servers – that is just how it is there. In the west, however, you have to take into account the PvE servers, which make up a large part. With such an important feature that players have been wishing for since release, it is understandable that they do not want to force PvE players into PvP.
Unlike in Korea, where only 10 winners emerge from this competition, there will be a total of 20 winners here. It was decided to develop both a PvP and a PvE mode. Thus, the hunt for rank points is clearly delineated and does not represent a mix like in Asia. Guild members can accumulate points by, for example, completing instances together, winning guild wars, and participating in battlegrounds. By the way, the fight for guild fortresses lasts 28 days in Korea. This will probably be similar in the west.
Fate of Arun: Part 2 will likely be released in late February, brings even more
The expected release date is mentioned as late February, so it won’t be long before guilds either clash heads or slay monsters in a race. Interestingly, this update will include much more than the GvG competition for guild fortresses. Players can look forward to a new variant of the 3vs3 arena, the Sky Ring of Heroes. With an additional 5vs5 mode, one will be more flexible in the choice of group size in the future. Besides that, it also brings a new dynamic.
We know: The progress-oriented guilds are longing for a challenging endgame dungeon that has already been live in Korea for several months. The answer is likely to please hardcore players: The instance “Sky Cruiser Endeavor”, accessible in normal and hard mode, is also included in this update. According to the producer and the developer, this is a very tough challenge, with completely new mechanics for the bosses. By the way, these also drop equipment that will replace the best one so far. Speaking of equipment: It will also be possible to enchant your gear from +12 to +15.
What else does the future hold in 2015?
You won’t take a long break, as the next patch will already come in March. Although the name of a new dungeon, the “Tower Arena”, is mentioned, further details are kept under wraps. Research with TERA Korea expert Espei has revealed that this instance is a classic tower game, where you rise level by level and face increasingly tough challenges. It goes up to tower level 20. The last levels are likely only achievable by the best players.
Regarding the new Gunner class, which has been available to Koreans for a few weeks now, no word was said in the letter. Our assessment: The class will likely arrive no earlier than late April. Further announcements should be coming soon. Perhaps we will know more then.
And what does Gameforge say about the future? The European community has certainly noticed that the American publisher has made several announcements for the future. Are we following the same schedule? Community manager anemsalok shared in a forum thread on the official site:
As already mentioned, we generally do not publish news or release dates until we are truly 200% sure that they are accurate. It is important for us that you can always rely on the statements we make here in the forum. Unfortunately, this also means that we sometimes have to wait until the last minute.
Nevertheless: Based on experience, if you take the last patch releases into account, it can be expected that the updates will come out approximately simultaneously. What En Masse says is equally relevant for players of the European client.
To conclude, a small outlook on guild housing:
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There is still excitement around the air-drops in H1Z1. Now the “culprit” speaks up.
In a pre-release stream from NGTZombies, Adam Clegg, one of the minds behind H1Z1, made the fateful statement that one could not buy weapons and ammunition for real money: “There are ZERO possibilities.”
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To this statement, there has been loud criticism, because it indirectly worked through the air-drops in the early access of H1Z1. There are crates dropping with zombies and heavy equipment. These air-drops can be ordered for 5 dollars.
Clegg stated that he simply did not have these air-drops on his radar when he talked about “No weapons for money” in the stream, rather he meant only the cash shop and the direct opportunity to acquire weapons there.
In streams, one often talks a bit faster and not every word is 100% thought through; moreover, H1Z1 is a complex game with many systems.
Clegg apologized for this serious misunderstanding. He can understand that it was perceived as “He lied to us”; it was not his intention to deceive anyone.
In the fan video from January 16, the air-drop issue is further exacerbated by the fact that the zombies are probably buggy … early access after all …
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This feels a bit like damage control at the moment. SOE is being fired upon from all sides, whether by YouTubers like Boogie2988 (better known as Francis) or by Forbes Magazine. Even German media like GameStar have no understanding for any “But we are still in early access” excuses. What SOE wanted to establish as a “We want to develop the game closely with fans” policy is being labeled through the air-drop issue as a “cheap cash grab” or “scam”.
The exact changes to the air-drops are as follows:
The plane will be slowed to 53%.
The crate will drop at only 80% speed
The crate will no longer drop within a radius of 250m around the player, but in a radius of 700m
The crate will drop so that no player is directly in the radius
There must be at least 120 players on the server (that would be about 60% of the maximum players)
Clegg also provides exact statistics on what is in the air-drops in the reddit post. The weapons will now be substantially rarer.
20 dollars was probably the exact wrong price – either free or really expensive
Mein MMO says: Just looking at the reception of the early access shows how far apart the mood of the “core fans before release” is from that of the “fans after release”.
Before the release, the opinion of the small group of fans who accompanied the game: It doesn’t matter how far you are, let’s just play already. Just release it, it looks good enough in the streams. No one expects anything from an early access.
Now the mood of many gamers, who only became aware of the game, is more: How could they at Sony bring such a cheap, buggy thing to market, that’s outrageous and it’s a scam too?
Maybe this is the crux of an early access game? For the developers, it is a pre-alpha meant for absolute hardcore fans who desperately want to be part of it. In the eyes of the world, it is: A game for which you paid 20 euros and that should be fun now.
This seems to be an unfortunate price. If players had not paid anything, they would have seen it as an alpha. If SOE (like other free-to-play games) had offered an extremely expensive box, beyond 100 euros, with “exclusive alpha access” and numerous advantages for later, and clearly explained that only a very small group was being allowed in, the situation might have looked different. With this model, which has been heavily criticized, other games like ArcheAge have launched.
And even if there were major problems later, 12 hours after the start of the ArcheAge alpha, no one was talking about a huge catastrophe and a disaster.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In the SF-MMO Star Trek Online, Lead Designer Al Rivera described the strange situation of being responsible for everything that happens in the game.
“Hey, I love my iPhone, but I have cursed the manufacturer and the bigwigs at Apple more than once because of it. And even though I love my iPhone, it frustrates me sometimes and it is not perfect. But I know it was made by people, and for that I am grateful,” this is just one of the points made by the Lead Designer of Star Trek Online, Al Rivera, in an unusual post on reddit addressing the sometimes harsh and personal criticism from fans.
Most of the criticism comes from people who care about the game, love it in some way, and expect more from it. Yet even if Rivera rationally understands that the job of Lead Designer involves handling a lot of criticism and being a scapegoat for the fans, it does not go unnoticed by a full professional, as can be read.
Especially since the Lead Designer is not a sole ruler: “When it comes to business, I have a boss, and he has a boss, and so on. Not everything that happens is my decision. But I stand behind every step we take.”
In the post, Rivera also makes it clear how proud he and the team are of Star Trek Online. Rivera states he has been a Trekkie since childhood, and the many extraordinary moments at conventions and with fans compensated him for some rather rough treatment.
He asks the fans to also see the positives: “If you dislike something about Star Trek Online, then I am probably partly responsible for that. But if you like something about Star Trek Online, then I likely had something to do with it too.”
A Problem of Many in the Industry
My MMO states: This is a difficult issue for many working in this “industry” to sit and listen to criticism while trying to maintain the “The customer is king” reins, even when feeling it is unfair or feeling the need to justify oneself. Here, the thought process is common to remind oneself of the fans’ love for the product and their passion repeatedly.
At the moment, John Smedley is going through such a situation at H1Z1, whose strengths do not exactly include “Nodding and Showing Humility.”
An former employee of Guild Wars 2 reached out to the fans after leaving ArenaNet and spoke about how personal attacks on staff gnaw at them when being singled out as a cog in the machine: “What are they doing? I could do it much better than they can!”
Exotic weapons in Destiny are gaining popularity. Now a Lego builder has recreated the iconic hand cannon “The Last Word” using over 300 Lego bricks.
The exotic weapons in Destiny are the centerpiece of the game. Each of the weapons has its own kind of story. Signs of this are only sparsely found in the form of words and stories in the game. They are reflected in the look and design of the weapons, in their names and concepts. In the few words of text for each weapon, stories are meant to arise in the minds of the fans.
Well, one has become a bit martial at times, especially with the naming. On the US site Polygon there is currently a somewhat tongue-in-cheek quiz where players have to decide whether a dark-sounding name belongs to a weapon in Destiny or to a Swedish heavy metal band.
Anyway, Bungie has even invented fictional weapon forges and companies, of which the exotic weapons are considered the crowning achievements and masterpieces.
The anachronistic hand cannon “The Last Word” is a homage to the Wild West. When fired, the Guardian holds one hand over the trigger to increase the firing speed. This method of firing is also known as the “fanning” technique, where the trigger is repeatedly pressed down. And this in a world where otherwise pulse rifles, fusion rifles, and cluster rockets determine who lives and who dies.
The look, the design, the feeling of the weapon have already made it a fan favorite early on. And the fact that it is an absolute killer in the Crucible, the game’s PvP mode, has certainly not harmed its reputation.
Anachronistic overkill, anyone? Sci-fi game, Wild West weapon, YouTube of our time:
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This weapon has now been recreated by a Lego specialist using over 300 Lego bricks. For this, he has used pieces from various settings.
Much of the bling-bling on the side of the weapon comes from a Lego set of “The Lord of the Rings.” This may also explain the somewhat unusual inscription. While in the Destiny version of “The Last Word” the manufacturer “Tex Mechanica” is displayed, on the Lego The-Last-Word, runes from the Lord of the Rings universe are prominent.
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A French MMO study has now been released, examining nearly all major MMO launches from the last three years and arriving at some interesting conclusions. Older players are significantly more critical than younger ones, but they are also much more generous.
Three months after the respective launch, French players of 9 MMOs like Final Fantasy XIV, WildStar, The Elder Scrolls Online, or Planetside 2 were asked how they liked the game (only Tera, The Secret World, and ArcheAge were omitted from the larger launches). The survey yielded interesting results:
How satisfied were gamers with the MMO launches in 2012, 2013, and 2014?
Planetside 2 – Final Fantasy XIV – Guild Wars 2
The best launch, both in terms of Meta-Critic score and fan reception, in recent years was Guild Wars 2. Followed by Final Fantasy XIV and Planetside 2.
At the other end of the scale: Neverwinter, The Elder Scrolls Online, and Defiance.
Critics and fans are almost always in agreement. SWTOR was liked a bit more by critics than by fans, while it was the opposite for Defiance.
Interesting statistic: Only players who genuinely like a game plan to play it for more than a few months. Whether one is “pretty disappointed, really disappointed, or kind of in-between” makes little difference. Players who rate the game at least 8 out of 10 points prove to be loyal.
Age makes grumpy
The average MMO player is 28.
The oldest gamers are found in TESO, with an average age of 33.
Older players tend to be more dissatisfied with the game than younger ones. However, they buy the Collector’s Edition much more frequently.
Among subscription games, most gamers agreed that it is truly a pay-to-play game. Only a quarter of the surveyed players wanted TESO and WildStar to switch to free-to-play. For Final Fantasy XIV, it was even just 8%.
Solo players instead of world savers
Players rarely feel that their actions have direct impacts on the world in MMORPGs. In WildStar, only 8% agree with such a statement; in Final Fantasy XIV, it’s as low as 6%. In the MMO shooter Planetside 2, however, 61% believe they can influence the world. Surprisingly high: Guild Wars 2 with 49%.
Almost every MMO is seen favourably by fans for solo play. 19 out of 20 surveyed players would agree with such a statement for Star Wars: The Old Republic. Similarly suited for solo players: GW2 (94%) and Neverwinter (93%). A bit less solo-friendly are TESO (83%) and WildStar (64%).
H1Z1, launched in Early Access yesterday, has PR problems. Many veterans and newcomers are now complaining about a supposed Pay2Win element, the Air Drops. At SOE, they feel unjustly criticized, but promise some changes.
With the release of a game like H1Z1, things can be tricky. “Zombie shooter” or “Survival” games are a big deal. These are words that catch many people’s attention. The genre is hot and attracts a lot of interest.
The MMO “H1Z1” has flown under the radar until now. That changed with Early Access. Many genre fans saw it for the first time in a stream yesterday or heard about it. “A game like DayZ, but finally from a big studio like Sony, who can actually finish it!” that’s more or less how it’s described in one sentence.
After a rough start, difficulties are now becoming apparent. Players feel betrayed by Sony Online Entertainment. The bone of contention is the Air Drops, orderable airdrops.
Aside from the fact that many genre fans consider such things a sin against genre conventions: “How can the world be in ruins if there are still airplanes flying?”, there are also reservations in game design against this element.
http://youtu.be/VStbyuX5qY4
Players say: Airdrops provide advantages!
A player can request a plane for $5, which drops a crate in an area. This crate may contain ammunition and weapons. Such a transaction “money for items that benefit players directly” falls for many gamers under the frowned-upon “Pay2Win” principle, through which players with looser wallets can buy advantages. Especially in a survival game, this does not sit well with many.
At SOE, they see things a bit differently. They repeatedly emphasize, even beforehand, that players can request this airdrop and that there will be gear in it. However, it is by no means guaranteed that the player requesting it will actually receive it.
John Smedley, the president of SOE (a team that has more to do with Everquest than with the Playstation), sees the airdrops much more as an “element of chaos.” One pays $5 to create excitement and action on the server.
Furthermore, they never concealed the airdrop feature. Five months ago, they introduced the feature at SOE Live and showcased it in streams afterward. The criticism that is now arising is something Smedley visibly considers unjust.
Airdrops are not Pay2Win because …
He points out that airdrops are not Pay2Win for him because
they can only be called in when the server is at least a quarter full (so no: I order it at night when I am alone).
the contents of the airdrop are unpredictable.
an airdrop guarantees a lot of attention from the zombies.
other players will also notice it since the plane flies extra slow and loud.
it is not guaranteed that the player who orders the airdrop will even receive an item.
However, Smedley admits that the term Pay2Win is extremely difficult to define. For him and the team at SOE, the mechanics do not constitute Pay2Win. He has found it tedious to argue about the term Pay2Win. Anyone who sees it as Pay2Win must simply stay away from the Early Access of H1Z1.
But we are still working on fine-tuning
However, Smedley also acknowledges weaknesses in the current system. Therefore, they will:
further increase the radius of airdrops, which is currently too narrow.
significantly reduce the likelihood of weapons being dropped.
set the minimum of players on the server to at least 100 instead of 50 before airdrops are possible. (which would likely confirm a server size of 200).
and they want to make the plane fly even slower.
The atmosphere between the gaming industry and players is tense
Mein MMO says:The problem is, in our view, that the overall mood between players and developers is currently at a low point, especially regarding monetization. Players have zero trust in developers at the moment and smell fraud, usury, and exploitation at every corner. This is not groundless paranoia that has formed, but more of a “burned child fears the fire” story.
SOE and H1Z1 are partly suffering the consequences of what other games and companies with dubious monetization schemes have messed up.
However, to scream after 12 hours that this system is the worst, without having really seen it in action or looked at what it actually does, is exaggerated.
It is clear: This “chaos element” has always been emphasized by SOE. Four and a half months ago, it was already a topic and discussed. To say that they have concealed anything isn’t entirely correct.
Apparently, the airdrops in Early Access are not yet “100%” as they should be. However, that’s probably not another part of the game.
Smedley’s statements are clear: If a server needs to be half full for an airdrop, that the drop location is truly random and spreads over a large area, then it sounds like an interesting element of chaos and not necessarily Pay2Win.
Of course: H1Z1 has some difficulties. Many of these difficulties stem from the fact that genre fans have very specific ideas about how the perfect apocalypse should look. And airdrops simply do not fit into that.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The developer studio Runewaker will announce a new game next week. The creators of Runes of Magic and Dragon’s Prophet are not revealing much about it.
RPG, MOBA or…?
The previous titles from Runewaker are classic MMOs. Will the new game follow this trend? Initial concept images have surfaced and suggest that it could also be a MOBA like League of Legends. The screen shows several heroes, with an army of huge golems in the background.
However, this would be a bold step, as the developers from Taiwan have only made a name for themselves in the MMORPG genre so far.
Playable at the Taipei Game Show
After Runewaker wants to reveal more information next week, visitors of the Taipei Game Show can take a closer look at the upcoming game. The game fair takes place at the end of January. We are curious about which genre the new Runewaker game will ultimately be categorized into.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The Elder Scrolls Online tries to explain the new, complex Champion system, but it doesn’t become really understandable. Our author Schuhmann is at least driven to madness by it.
I admit: The new Champion system in The Elder Scrolls Online overwhelms me. It is supposed to come to the test server with update 6 sometime this month and then maybe go live in February, but: I have been reading about it for half a year. It somehow feels to me like a Rubik’s cube that I had as a child. I swear: Every time I wasn’t looking, it turned and changed on its own! I was just a tiny bit away from the ultimate solution that would have impressed everyone. All, I say.
The Champion system in TESO constantly presents me with new puzzles. Every additional piece of information I receive about the system confuses me!
Fair enough, one has to say: Zenimax means well. With angelic patience, they keep explaining the various ideas they want to introduce. A big article has just been published on the website two days ago, which is supposed to clarify how the new Champion system exactly works. Maybe that’s the mistake! They mean it too well. “Why haven’t we read anything about it on gaming sites yet?” some will now ask.
Because it is much more important that TESO has disappeared from two more Australian stores, of course. I can hear your excited gasps for air from here. Yes, yes, Free2Play is virtually certain! But others, more serious sites should deal with that; we are focusing on something else.
Back to the Champion system: In rough outlines, I understand it.
So far, so good
They want to give players a new opportunity to develop their character after level 50. Because the system until then was (How can I say that nicely?) … pretty stupid. Well, to be honest … you will still carry the old system further in TESO because … um … well, that’s a different topic
In every hour, players should be able to earn approximately “one” Champion point, which they then invest in a “skill” and then they will gradually become stronger. There are very, very many points (3600 is said) to earn, and players can spend a long time on this. So far, so good. That information would be enough for me. And if you care about your mental health, you would stop reading here.
For advanced players, there’s the following information: There will be a kind of “rested bonus”, like in WoW. If I don’t log in for a long time, I can earn the next point faster. Also okay. Then there was already a huge fuss about how many points seasoned players would start with in the new Champion system (they must be more than the poor fresh veterans).
I would be happy and satisfied if I only knew that about the new system.
By Molag Bal, I believe I understand it!
But: The information players receive is significantly more extensive: There are 3 constellations of guardians: Warrior, Rogue, Mage. Let’s refer to that as “superior constellation.”
These 3 superior constellations have 3 smaller constellations beneath them. As soon as you earn a Champion point, it goes into one of the 3 superior constellations and turns in a row; you cannot influence it.
You can then distribute the point itself within the 3 subordinate constellations.
Each “point” in the superior constellations provides, depending on the theme of the constellation, values for mages (Magicka+more), warriors (Health+more), rogues (Stamina+more).
And now it gets nasty: In each of the constellations, there are also stars (how many, they cruelly do not say, I believe from the screens, there are 8). And if you invest points in these stars, you receive a very specific passive bonus.
If you invest 10, 30, 75, and 120 points in the collected stars of one of the “subordinate” constellations, you receive a “passive bonus” for that “subordinate constellation.”
Too little to understand, too much to stay sane
But how one arrives at the total of 3600 Champion points that are circulating … is a total mystery to me, because Zenimax, despite revealing far too much, does not tell me how many points I can invest in a star and how many stars there are in the subordinate constellations? If there are 8 stars, that would be 50 points per star, or what?
So do I need 9*120= 1080 points (6 ½ weeks of non-stop gaming) to unlock all “powerful” bonuses. And the 2520 points (3 ½ months of 24/7 gaming) after that don’t unlock any new bonuses anymore?
Maybe I’m just being silly. Maybe you need algebra to understand this, and when that was in school, I had … a strain!
How much transparency is too much transparency?
These Zenimax guys drive me insane! Some things you just have to play before you can understand them. Is this transparency and openness still manageable? No, I say! But I guess I’m alone in this.
Would you like more good news? The new patch notes for TESO already have over 66 pages, and the two-hour live stream presenting the latest from the world of The Elder Scrolls Online starts tonight.
Oh, I wish every MMO made it so easy to follow!
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Trion Worlds has made several improvements to its free-to-play title Rift that aim to enhance the gaming experience. In update 3.1, a revamped user interface in crafting and numerous new features for the minions and dimensions will be introduced.
Minions are meant to be enslaved. With the new real-money stamina potions, your minions will be working overtime. Once you have administered a stamina potion to your minion, a 24-hour cooldown begins before you can boost them again.
Additionally, there is the option to skip an adventure with your minion. If you choose to skip an adventure, it will be randomly replaced with a new one, which will also have a cooldown. Furthermore, you can link minions in chat and enable sound notifications for minions.
Free flight certificate for your dimensions: Thanks to a freely movable camera, you can navigate freely through your dimension, without the terrain getting in your way. In the past, this feature has been requested multiple times by the community. Additionally, the permission structure of dimensions has been revised. With a “special list”, you will soon be able to allow friends or guild members to move items in your dimension. In return, you can deny access to uninvited guests by putting them on a blacklist.
A favorites feature has been implemented in the crafting UI. You can now mark crafting recipes as favorites by bookmarking them. A link to the quick bar is also possible. In the future, you will also be able to change the frame by right-clicking on your player portrait.
In World of Warcraft , the announced Veteran Mode will be significantly less exciting than expected. According to data mining information, it seemed like a step towards “Free2Play.” That hope can be buried.
Some, including our Nico, saw a connection: Could it be possible for players without an active account to log in temporarily and then buy game time with their “old” gold from other players who purchased it for “real money” from Blizzard? That would be a win-win-win for everyone. Old players could play WoW “for free” again, existing players could exchange euros for gold without violating the EULA, and Blizzard would get more subscribers and thus more money.
It all sounded logical. But if that ever happens, it has nothing to do with the Veteran Mode. Because it is much more boring than expected.
What is behind the new “Veteran Mode?”
What data miners found regarding the Veteran Mode is, in practice, a pretty mundane affair, as posts from WoW Community Manager Bashiok in the US forum show.
The Veteran Mode is pretty much the same as the Starter “Edition,” which are trial accounts.
Players who once had an account can log in with that account and create new characters or play existing heroes (but none at level 21 or above). The only benefit is that, in principle: Ex-players do not have to create a new trial account but can create a level-1 hero with their old account and run around with them or with former mini-twinks.
All restrictions are active like in the Starter Edition, so no trading, no chatting, no leveling up. The only difference is: The characters can join a guild.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Destiny, Xur is the man around whom everything revolves. On Friday, January 16th, he appears in the Tower with a selection of exotic weapons and armor, the really good stuff.
Xur has become so popular and important that he has achieved a sort of “internet fame” that others wish to benefit from. There is an account on Twitter pretending to be a “key Bungie employee.” All week, he tweets only about being in “extremely important” meetings discussing what good Xur would have on Friday.
“Hmm! Let’s give them Icebreaker! I want Icebreaker, but my colleagues are for Red Death. What do you think?”
“Oh, I don’t want to say anything. I just came from a meeting, and I can only tell you, save strange coins!”
Just to be clear: People like that do not work at Bungie; they just want followers and attention.
We also receive messages asking if we would already reveal what Xur has on offer (You can tell me, please! I’m a good boy!). And why we always wait until the very last moment before we reveal it…
It is impossible to predict exactly what Xur has in Destiny.
Everything about Xur, the Agent of the Nine, on January 16th, 17th, and 18th in Destiny
When does Xur come to the Tower and when does he leave?
Xur arrives at the Tower on Friday, January 16th, at 10:00 AM German time. Xur leaves the Tower again on Sunday, January 18th, also at 10:00 AM.
Where is Xur? What is his location?
Xur is located by the vendors of the Crucible.
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Exotic armors have varying high values for Strength, Intellect, and Discipline – even if they are otherwise the same item. This is referred to as a “roll.” The higher it is, the better it is. There is no data yet on where the limits for the “new” light-level 36 items lie; we dealt with the old limits in this article.
What does Xur have for Warlocks, Titans, Hunters in Destiny this week?
Xur has this week the exotic sniper rifle Icebreaker for 17 strange coins on offer. The Icebreaker is currently considered the second strongest PvE weapon in Destiny, while it is much less sought after in PvP. The special twist: The weapon regenerates its ammunition automatically, but cannot be reloaded for that. It is the ideal sniper to find a position, take six shots, and switch to another weapon. Especially in the previous raids and in Nightfall strikes with the solar damage modifier, the Icebreaker has been and is in demand. And Guardians are willing to do strange things to get it.
For Hunters, Xur has the exotic Achylophage Symbiote available for 13 strange coins. With 104/112 Discipline.
For Titans, he has the exotic DLC helm The Glasshouse (Glass House) available. He wants 13 strange coins for it. The helm has a value of 113/122 in Intellect, which is a very strong roll. The Glasshouse has never been offered by Xur before.
Warlocks can buy the exotic DLC helm Obsidian Mind (Obisidan Mind) for 13 strange coins from him this week. He has that for the first time as well. The helm has two values: 49/53 in Intellect, and 50/54 in Strength.
Xur is not selling an Engram this week. His selection is considered the best in the last months.
Which exotic weapons and armors can Xur upgrade this week?
In Destiny, the hard mode of the raid Crota’s End starts on January 21 in the evening. Four new legendary weapons, the exotic auto rifle Necrochasm, a shader, and a ship will be up for grabs. Well, there will also be some surprises. Bungie has learned from experience.
The hard mode is said to be tougher than last time
A patch is supposed to come as early as Tuesday to prepare the raid. The next update, therefore, is patch 1.1.0.4.
On Wednesday evening, German time, around 7 PM, the “hard mode” of the new raid in Destiny will open. This is an unusual time. It is also expected to be a manual start. Delays may occur.
Bungie warns: They have learned some new tricks to make the raid more challenging. There will be fewer opportunities for raiders to heal themselves, and the enemies will be tougher. The new baseline level is now light level 33.
The hard mode in Destiny in practice
The hard mode in Destiny is an opportunity for Guardians at the top of the food chain to test their skills and gear against “even tougher” enemies.
In practice, it works like this: Guardians who only do the “hard mode” will receive loot “twice” from each boss, once for a “normal” kill and then for the “hard” kill. For example, there are known screenshots of Atheon, the final boss, where someone immediately got two exotic weapons.
The hard mode in Destiny is already a challenge in itself because Guardians deal significantly reduced damage with an unfavorable light level difference to the target.
What loot is available?
The main part of the loot consists of the four new primary weapons with elemental damage, which can drop from the final boss Crota:
The highlight of the raid will be the exotic auto rifle Necrochasm. It is the next evolution of the “white rifle” Husk of the Pit, which can then become the Eidolon Ally .
Crota now drops an item that turns the auto rifle into the exotic Necrochasm: The Crux of Crota. In the image, the Necrochasm deals Arc damage, but unlike the Vex Mythoclast, it has no “strange” damage value, but remains at 331. Whether it can ultimately take the place of the Vex Mythoclast as the “new king weapon in Destiny” will remain to be seen.
What else is there in the Destiny raid?
There will be a new shader with the beautiful name Glowhoo. And a new spaceship will also drop, probably from Crota: Bane of the Dark Gods is the gem that also serves as a model for the cover image.
Fame and recognition are also up for grabs. Bungie has announced that they will elevate the first raiders to a virtual podium.
