The space MMO Elite: Dangerous releases tomorrow, on December 16th. It’s time to let an expert summarize the last weeks and months in the game.
We at mein-mmo.de have collaborated with YouTuber ShumbokLP for reporting on Elite: Dangerous. He is a veteran of the old Elite 2, is well-versed in strategy and indie games, and closely follows the development of Elite: Dangerous.
We have featured the following of his video contributions regarding the development of Elite: Dangerous so far:
Now, the official release is set for tomorrow, and Shumbok delivers a look at the last weeks and months, including the stress around the promised but then canceled offline mode:
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The first Guardian in Destiny has reached level 32, the new maximum level. To achieve this, he has an account full of Warlocks who can trade equipment among themselves.
He is probably the first Guardian to reach the new maximum Light Level of 32. 144 Light Points are required for this: Raid Chest, Raid Gloves, and Raid Boots from Crota’s End, plus an exotic helmet, and they all need to be fully upgraded.
And indeed: “EnormousTrash” wears the exotic helmet “Skull of Dire Ahamakara” and three pieces of the new raid armor “Deathsinger’s”, all already upgraded to the maximum.
And as if the envy of other Guardians was not already guaranteed, he also received the new sniper rifle “Black Hammer” from Crota.
But how can someone reach level 32 after just 5 days? Did the Guardian just have an incredible amount of luck, or is there more to it?
No luck, but the “Trading System” and Twinks
To reach level 32, the Guardian would need an incredible amount of luck, needing all 3 raid armors in one run. This is nearly impossible. Most are happy to get just one piece of armor in a round of “Crota’s End”. So he must have – if our preliminary loot table is correct – received three items from two boss encounters…
Additionally, the Guardian would also need a lot of “Light Energy” and “Light Shards” to upgrade the raid armor pieces accordingly. These are also only available from the raid, which can only be accessed once a week. So how did the player manage to achieve all this in a raid lockout when other Guardians in Destiny take weeks and months?
This is due to three design decisions by Bungie:
While Guardians cannot trade items among themselves, they can send gear that has already been equipped within the same account, which most other trading systems of MMOs prohibit.
In practice, this means: A Warlock player can create a second and third Warlock, level them up to 20, and send them the armor and weapons of the “main character” via mail. The new Warlock equips this armor and levels up to the main character’s level. Then this character can go into the raid again with a fresh “ID” and fight for equipment.
Questions mixed with congratulations
“Enormous Trash” probably did exactly that, as his account also contains the level 32 Warlock and two others, whose activities indicate that they raided this week as well.
Therefore, the congratulations to the player are mixed with questions about how many Warlocks he has deleted, leveled to 20, and recreated to now have the first level 32 Guardian worldwide.
The first 30 back then was characterized by not just having one Hunter on his account, but three.
It seems that the path to the top in Destiny goes through clones.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The Blizzcon 2014 in Anaheim is quite some time ago. Blizzard now shines the spotlight on the cosplayers in a video recap.
Some of Blizzard’s characters have become icons, they are “larger than life.” Especially “Heroes of the Storm,” a sort of League of Legends with an all-star cast of characters from various Blizzard franchises, some in unusual costumes, is a treasure trove for dedicated and passionate cosplayers.
And dedicated and passionate are all cosplayers. Who would delve into a project like this with a fickle heart? Blizzard takes a look back in a captivating video at Blizzcon 2014 and presents three cosplayers and their elaborate costumes in short interviews.
In Destiny, Xur, the Agent of the Nine, can apparently upgrade the PlayStation-exclusive exotic weapons Hawkmoon and Monte Carlo. The Vex Mythoclast does not seem to be one of them.
Do you remember the Xur glitch? By manipulating the time display on PlayStation, players could see what Xur had in the past, even on days when Destiny was not online yet. This allowed players to find out what Xur can sell.
This trick apparently still works, and guardians have used it to find out which weapons and armor Xur can upgrade. He can sell all armor in Destiny, but not all weapons.
So far, Xur has not included the following exotic weapons in his offerings:
Weapons available from exotic loot pools like: Thorn, Bad Karma, Super Good Advice, Fate of All Fools (that should come with the Trials of Osiris event), Pocket Infinity, and Incentive.
The two PlayStation-exclusive weapons Hawkmoon and Monte Carlo.
Can Xur upgrade the PlayStation-exclusive weapons Hawkmoon and Monte Carlo?
Yes, he can. Players have found this out thanks to the Xur glitch. In an image, Hawkmoon can be seen in his offer.
Update 20.12.: Now we know for sure. On 19.12., Xur had the PlayStation-exclusive Monte Carlo. It was even available in an “extra” upgrade slot, allowing Xur to upgrade 7 weapons this week. However, only PlayStation players could see Monte Carlo.
Can Xur upgrade the Vex Mythoclast?
It does not seem so. The Vex Mythoclast, in its old version that was recently buffed, has a damage value of 323 when fully upgraded. The three new exotic weapons and also the “new” versions of the old exotics reach a value of 331. Legendary weapons from the vendors also reach that.
For quite a while now, there have been attempts to revolutionize the clearly outdated education system, but particularly in Germany, politics struggles to let go of old ideas.
However, if you look a bit beyond the borders of the country, you can see some interesting approaches. In Austria, a teacher has introduced a completely new grading system: It is based on quests and experience points!
The Issue of Transparency
The developer of the new grading system is Christian Haschek, who is, of course, a teacher himself. He often reflects on his time as a student, during which he was unmotivated and hardly eager to prepare for an exam or seminar. He sees the root of this lack of motivation in the absence of transparency in grading.
A student or pupil never truly knows how their grade stands halfway through the semester, and often, teachers can only provide vague statements. This results in the perception that one is somewhat at the mercy of arbitrary decisions and cannot guarantee their influence on their success. And it is precisely this issue that Haschek’s system addresses.
Games + Grades = Full Motivation?
And here is what the solution looks like: At the beginning of the school year, all course content is divided into experience points, and thresholds are set that must be reached to obtain a corresponding grade. Of course, students can check at any time how they are currently doing and what they need to achieve to improve further. Haschek orientated himself on the leveling systems, as they appear in MMORPGs.
This way, once earned experience points (XP) cannot be lost again, as this would undermine one of the biggest motivators. A few simple examples to illustrate this: A constructive comment during class gives 5 XP, a particularly good homework assignment 20 XP, and a presentation maybe 35 XP. Those who do not complete their homework naturally miss out on some points.
Problems and Concerns
A considerable number of older teachers criticize this approach, and a few negative aspects are quite hard to overlook. Such an extensive system, of course, requires knowledge of new media, and a classroom without comprehensive computer equipment will hardly have a chance – not to mention that many teachers still dread using computers.
A second point of criticism is that students would have no incentive to put in effort if they had already earned the required experience points for a grade. However, Haschek reports the opposite: especially teenagers who find themselves “secure” with a good grade tend to help their classmates more actively; he has termed this phenomenon the “High-Level Syndrome.” Those who no longer need to worry about their own grade are happy to help others – he also compares this to online games where high-level characters like to assist lower ones.
Personal Opinion
I believe it is high time for new systems in schools. In this example, one takes something that young people enjoy in their free time and applies it to an area that is generally less favored. As a student, it must be incredibly motivating to have your current performance in front of you at all times and to know exactly what you need to do to reach the next “level.”
[pullquote]If I received 5 XP for doing the laundry every time, I could certainly motivate myself to do it more often.[/pullquote]
Primarily, such a system offers significantly more transparency, and situations where one thinks “Oh, the teacher just doesn’t like me” – whether justified or unjustified – would surely be a thing of the past. The concept certainly has a few weaknesses and cannot be applied everywhere – Haschek himself acknowledges this. Nonetheless, it is time to say goodbye to old concepts and try new things. And this is a good first step.
If I received 5 XP for doing the laundry every time, I could certainly motivate myself to do it more often… it’s amazing how much these games shape us.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In the very first International Tournament Series of Guild Wars 2, the North American team The Abjured emerges victorious.
The final of the first International Tournament Series of Guild Wars 2 took place in Beijing. The best players from North America, Europe, and China competed in PvP against each other for a prize pool of $50,000. The tournament was organized by ArenaNet and their Chinese publishing partner KongZhong.
After Team Prime and Team SALA were defeated in the semifinals, The Abjured faced off against the European team The Civilized Gentlemen at the end of the tournament series. In the final between TCG and The Abjured, the matches resulted as follows:
483-470 for The Abjured 501-397 for TCG 410-341 for The Abjured 500-370 for The Abjured
After three nerve-wracking matches, The Abjured, led by their team leader Phantaram, secured the final victory on the map “Temple of Silent Storm” and thus the first place at this international event event. Thunderous applause, loud music, and flashes intensified the smiles of the North Americans as they accepted the winners’ trophy and a $25,000 check.
The battle for third place was decisively won by Team SALA, with a clear 3:0 against Team Prime.
You can relive the final here:
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The sandpark MMO ArcheAge has now apparently developed a fix for the “land grab” issue. With an additional delay, they aim to eliminate the problem, which was allegedly never as big as it has been made out to be in the meantime.
Why are the same people always the fastest?
The “land grab” is probably one of the most frustrating phenomena in ArcheAge. A plot whose rent is expiring gets demolished. The timing for this is fixed and known. Interested players gather around the plot to then, as soon as it goes into demolition, place their own “building” on it or rather: the foundation for one.
Sounds like an exciting thing: Sometimes you win, sometimes someone else wins. But afterwards, you always have something to talk about. In practice, however, it was the case that on some servers, the same people always won.
They often weren’t even near the plot. And sold the freshly acquired foundations for sums that made your ears twitch, which causes quite a stir with the kitty ears of the Firrans.
Some of these “fortunate” ones turned it into a real business, becoming brokers and selling the virtual plots on eBay for real money.
Hack or Skill? The issue creates distrust
How could the same people always win? There are two theories.
Trion Worlds itself and some fans say: Everything is going fairly. Some players are simply faster, have developed the right tactics, and those who complain about it are sore losers who can’t handle the fact that others are just better in a “sandbox”.
Proponents of a second theory show in disbelief on Russian hacker sites, where programs are circulating that enable such a “land hack”. Trion Worlds also admits that there have been isolated cases of such programs being used, but these are only isolated incidents. Nevertheless, they have taken action against this in the past and plan to do so again now, hopefully with lasting success.
With the next patch, which is currently being tested on the new test server, the following new fix is coming to ArcheAge:
* Property placement now has a five-second delay between attempts in order to disrupt rapid spam-placement attempt tools. Please adjust your strategy for property grabs accordingly!
So in the future, there will be a 5-second delay between individual attempts to place a foundation.
Mein MMO says: One can only hope that this will mean one of the biggest problems in ArcheAge is in the past. Although, one can hardly say that the problem was solved in time. The first complaints about such “hacks” and “land grabs” appeared more than two months ago.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In World of Warcraft, there is also a new Black Market Auction House in Warlords of Draenor, and it is only 45 seconds away from your Garrison.
One might think that the first rule of the Black Market Auction House in World of Warcraft is: “You do not talk about the Black Market Auction House.” While it was still a popular destination for the rich gold goblins in Mists of Pandaria, it is considerably less visited in Warlords of Draenor.
Reason: There is no flying in Draenor and the Black Market Auction House is located far from the main area in northern Nagrand amidst a group of ogres.
The walk there is long, but there is a trick on how to save yourself the journey and reach it in 45 seconds from your own Garrison. In this video, you can see how it works.
http://youtu.be/6bwx6O9fDVA
Aviana’s Feather, which you see in action in the video, is a reward for a quest from your inn in the Garrison. You need to complete “Aviana’s Request” in the Heroic Dungeon “The Sky Pillar.” It’s no big deal; many of you will likely have the feather lying around anyway.
The Black Market Auction House is technically a “Gold Sink,” where players bid against each other for particularly valuable or rare items. Here, “Best-in-Slot” items can appear (yes, including mythic ones that are otherwise only available in raids) or rare vanity items like the Arcanite Ripper or raid mounts from times past such as Mimiron’s Head. Each server has its own BM-AH, and the offers change. Just like in Mists of Pandaria, where everyone was crazy about the Black Market Auction House.
No reason for it to disappear this time into the fog of silence, just because the path is a bit inconvenient. A bit mean, however: This time there is no mailbox nearby.
And if you want to know how to get enough money to shop there, check out our article on the topic “How to get rich in MMOs“.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
A comic for the MMO shooter Destiny is causing a stir online. In one page and a few panels, PennyArcade has told a spine-chilling story that shows players how much potential still lies in Bungie’s hit.
The lack of story is a constant complaint against the MMO shooter Destiny. “I don’t even have time to explain why I don’t have time to explain,” is a running gag in the forums, highlighting that Destiny is indeed lacking in background story. While there are Grimoire cards that are praised and considered worth reading, nobody seems to be truly satisfied with them.
Story belongs in the game, in cutscenes, in text, in cinematics, in dialogues, so the general sentiment among fans.
In forums, Destiny players have extensively analyzed where the story is lacking, where cuts were likely made, and where plot threads have fizzled out. To this day, it’s unclear whether the finished result of Destiny is truly as Bungie intended or if, due to time constraints or pressure from publisher Activision, the story was cut.
It seems evident: The world is so rich and atmospheric, hints of a rich world, a vibrant story can be found everywhere, yet it somehow still eludes us. In its place, wild fan theories have emerged.
What could be narratively possible in the world of Destiny, how much a strong narrative layer could enhance the game, and how a story could harmonize with the already strong atmosphere and scenario of the game is illustrated by a surprisingly serious comic from Penny Arcade, which is more known for lighter content.
In a battle break, an exhausted and injured Guardian asks her Ghost how the Traveler is. How he would describe him in one word. And the usually silent Ghost responds this time.
In World of Warcraft last night, around midnight our time, the EU guild Paragon from the server Lightning Blade succeeded in defeating the instance Highmaul on the highest difficulty level “Mythic”.
For four days, the raid Highmaul was open in Europe at the highest difficulty level “mythic”, then the last boss fell. And it was not the ogre-emperor Mar’Gok who put up resistance at the end, but the Butcher, the nominal second boss of the instance. Mar’Gok fell worldwide first around 6 PM our time, 6 hours later, at midnight the Butcher also had to give in (as the 12th kill worldwide) and Paragon was able to officially raise the “We were the first to finish” flag.
Highmaul is built “modularly”, with only two bosses, the first and the last, being truly mandatory, while players can choose the order for the rest.
Although Highmaul had been open since last week, it has only been available on the difficulty level “mythic” since Tuesday in the USA and Wednesday in Europe.
While the two other difficulty levels “normal” and “heroic” are flexibly designed for ten to thirty players, scaling with the difficulty level, “mythic” is set for twenty players.
Paragon raided in the last WoW expansion Mists of Pandaria with 10 players and achieved the World-First kills. The raid scene in MoP was divided into 10 and 25 player formats, and there was frequent discussion about which was the “greater” achievement, raiding in 10 or 25, and whether there were any true “World-Firsts” at all.
The Finnish guild Paragon is among the most renowned WoW progress guilds. They have been competing at the top for World-First kills for several years now. In the race for the Highmaul World-First, they once again faced old acquaintances in this tier. Currently, Method and Blood Legion are at 6/7, among others.
Paragon has also provided a wipe count for the individual bosses, detailing how often they failed at the mythic version before the kill:
Kargath Bladefist: 0
Twin Ogron: 0
Brackenspore: 13
Tectus: 18
Ko’ragh: 38
Imperator Mar’gok: 122
The Butcher: 121
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
H1Z1 is being developed at a breathtaking pace for a project of its size. But can something developed that quickly really be good?
In the dev blog of the zombie MMO H1Z1 , veteran Jeff Jonas introduced himself and his work on SOE’s DayZ rival this time. Jonas has been involved with Sony Online Entertainment for 16 years on various projects, mostly as an artist, or in simpler terms, as a graphic designer.
At SOE, he has already worked on the classic Star Wars Galaxies, and then on Everquest 2. Before his time at SOE, he worked for SEGA and contributed to titles like Ren&Stimpy and Vectorman. The first game Jonas worked on was Super Off Road: The Baja, back for the SNES. That was developed in 1993, more than twenty years ago.
Players will be able to swap armor for speed with cars in H1Z1
In H1Z1, Jonas is primarily responsible for the cars and is particularly proud of the off-roader. At some point, there should also be the possibility to modify the vehicles, such as swapping speed for sturdier armor. But that’s still a future prospect; for now, Jonas is focusing on ensuring that the planned features function properly.
Speaking of music: besides the off-roader, a guitar is the piece of art he is most proud of in H1Z1. He designed it in honor of longtime colleague John Roy, who passed away during the development of H1Z1. The guitar can also be used as a “bludgeon”, as many guitarists refer to their instrument.
Restructuring aims to ensure quality despite haste
At the end of the post, Jonas allows for an unusual perspective for a dev blog. He is also curious whether it will be possible to develop something that lasts in such a short time, something that is a “win”, as Jonas says.
The conditions for that seem to be in place: the team brings an interesting mix of various professionals into the development. And they have shifted from a rather sluggish structure at SOE to an agile and flexible design concept.
In Destiny, a new weapon is making waves. The Black Hammer, a legendary sniper rifle, has Guardians excited with its new ability. They no longer need to reload as long as they achieve precision hits and chain them together.
Four days have passed since the DLC “Darkness Awaits” was released. And even though some media and players criticize that it offers too little content for the price, several new weapons have made their way into Destiny and are being examined by the community.
The new weapons are important for the gameplay of Destiny. Each feels a bit different, has distinct handling: recoil must be considered, as well as reload speed and impact. While Destiny has received some criticism lately, the gunplay is indisputable. In that regard, the new weapons are the stars. But which one do the Guardians like best so far?
New weapons in Destiny are being closely examined
We have discussed the various new legendary weapons available from the vendors in this article.
Even the three new exotic weapons, Dragon’s Breath, No Land Beyond, and The 4th Horseman, are already causing excitement. The Murmur (The Whisper), a legendary fusion rifle, provides every player with guaranteed access to Solar and Arc damage. And the Necrochasm is driving many to madness, even though it doesn’t even exist yet.
However, it is a legendary sniper rifle that is currently rising to become the new star of the DLC arsenal.
The Black Hammer, a legendary sniper rifle from the raid, has a brand new ability called “White Nail.” Three consecutive headshots ensure that the weapon does not need to be reloaded. A full magazine appears out of nowhere. http://youtu.be/IC0jbqdXpEA
Black Hammer draws comparisons to Icebreaker
Some on Reddit are even comparing it to the previous market leader in the “sniper rifle” segment, the Icebreaker.
Just like the Icebreaker, the “Black Hammer” deals Solar damage but does not use an “exotic slot,” allowing room for another exotic primary weapon. Additionally, the Black Hammer delights with increased stability, massive impact, and has the “Ambush” scope available, which enjoys high popularity among the pros.
Thanks to the ability “Hive Disruptor,” it is also ideal for the Crota’s End raid, looks martial, stylish, and futuristic. And it packs a punch.
However, there is a catch: The weapon is hard to obtain. It drops from Crota in the raid. Here you can have a look at the weapon at your leisure.
http://youtu.be/DDCRA_x59d8 Here a Guardian achieves 46 critical hits in a row… without reloading, the boss Sekrion in the Nexus crumbles. The Black Hammer seems to be establishing itself as an alternative to the Ice Breaker. http://youtu.be/PTVzOxJhoBA
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In the fantasy MMO The Elder Scrolls Online, the developers are now dispelling fears among the “Providers”, a special profession. They were worried that the upcoming justice system would make their craft impossible.
Will all cooks soon become thieves in The Elder Scrolls Online?
Providers, essentially the cooks in The Elder Scrolls Online, are intrinsically thieves. There lies an apple, there is some flour hidden, and here is a delicious cabbage head lying around. Unlike ore deposits or herbs that grow in the wild (or on mountains), providers rely on finding… and taking their crafting materials in civilized areas.
The five-finger discount reigns – or for the somewhat kleptomaniac Khajiit, the law of the paw.
Will cooks then automatically become thieves? No. A developer dispels these fears in a post on the official forum.
How TESO changes the provider
The entire system for providers is being revised:
While some items in the baskets will indeed belong to someone and be a “forbidden fruit”, not everything will. It will be clear with “red means forbidden” that you can hardly steal anything by mistake.
The same goes for openly displayed ingredients, like an apple on a table. If it belongs to someone: Hands off. Otherwise, it’s the ingredient for the next apple pie.
Cooks, brewers, and food merchants will receive a new assortment of ingredients.
Wild animals leave meat after their death. Those who want to become criminals can also kill and butcher domesticated livestock for their meat.
Fishing is a food source for fresh fish.
The apprentices deliver not only extremely interesting stories but also crafting materials. Their supply is set to increase with the change in the system.
And the new mini-crafting quests, the crafting writings, will also provide more ingredients.
Moreover, the “law system” can be completely disabled, as we learned from the last ESO Live. With Update 6, the justice system will initially become active for everyone, but this can be easily changed. Update 6 is set to arrive on the test servers in early January 2015 and will bring changes to the inventory as well as the a change in the inventory and the final phase of the Champion System.
Whatever happens: The provider can continue on the path of righteousness while still filling hungry mouths.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Destiny, the supposed precursor to the exotic auto rifle Necrochasm has now been found. However, the “Husk of the Pit” was only discovered by two level 7 Guardians still playing Destiny in the demo.
This is quite a strange revelation. Data miners had figured out weeks ago how there would eventually be (now) the exotic auto rifle “Necrochasm,” which colleague DrCrispy is so excited about in the trailer video. http://youtu.be/I4icKXFytWM?t=20s
Gray, gray is the Husk of the Pit and all theory
The theory was as follows: There is a quest line from Eris Morn where players first find a “gray rifle,” the Husk of the Pit. With the gray weapon, they then kill enemies of the “Hive” and upgrade it to a legendary weapon, the “Eidolon Ally”. And when they then kill Crota in the raid “Crota’s End” on hard mode, they could upgrade the Eidolon Ally into the exotic weapon “Necrochasm” .
Since a hard kill is needed for the Necrochasm, it was clear: This would also be the best weapon of the expansion, just like the Pre-Nerf Mythoclast, which only dropped from the final boss Atheon on hard.
It all sounded so reasonable, but where does it start?
It all sounded wonderful and reasonable. It also matched statements from Bungie employees about how they would continue Destiny. The only problem: Eris Morn did not offer any quests in this direction. The one that was left open revolved around the Urn of Sacrifice and there was no rifle but gloves.
Also irritating: The fusion rifle “The Murmur” (Murmur) was supposed to be obtained in such an extraordinary way. However, Guardians simply received it readily upgraded to legendary from Eris Morn after only a few hours of quests.
The question: Where, at Phogoth’s big rear, should Guardians even get the precursor for Necrochasm? Where could that start?
You really don’t have to be level 7, do you? Or?!
Now two level 7 Guardians who are still playing the demo version of Destiny have actually found the “Husk of the Pit” at a low-level “Crota Spawn.” The thing simply dropped as a white item. Level 30 Guardians have been going crazy ever since, wondering what it means.
Have they already found the weapons themselves but overlooked and not picked them up?
Do they now have to make a low-level Guardian themselves to get to the weapon?
And what really happens with this weapon? Does it then move forward?
All of this is still puzzling at the moment but brings once again a lot of conversation material to Destiny.
One of the two level 7 Guardians with the Husk of the Pit is probably quite young and has uploaded a shaky YouTube video that exudes a bit of the charm of a … well … but has already been viewed 30,000 times and probably analyzed like the Zapruder film that captured the assassination of Kennedy.
Click at your own risk.
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The pavement of Tokyo proved to be too hot in The Secret World. With a hotfix, Funcom cools the temperature to more pleasant degrees.
“Nightmare in the Palace of Dreams”, the tenth issue in The Secret World, was tuned too harshly. Funcom has adjusted it: enemies in Kaidan now have fewer hit points and deal less damage, and rewards have been increased.
The AEGIS system has also been made more accessible and a bit more forgiving.
My MMO thinks: The Secret World struggles with attracting players who enjoy the story and the quirky atmosphere (bunny-headed ninja killers!), but the unusual gameplay and quite harsh balancing unfortunately repel exactly this target audience, which wants to dip their toes into the game without immediately engaging intensively in min-maxing.
Particularly the infamous “Blue Mountain” zone, the third in the game, which one reaches after about 10-15 hours, may mean an end of the journey for many newcomers.
And even though this zone lies far back in the past for players who are now in the endgame and enjoying the current content patch, balancing still seems to be a concern for the developers. It’s good that they have reacted relatively quickly.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The two MMOs WildStar and ArcheAge are currently neck and neck on the US site massively for the “biggest disappointment of the MMO year.”
This is a title both games would have preferred to avoid. The major US MMO site massively awards MMO honors at the end of the year. First, the editorial team gives their assessments. Then, fans are allowed to vote. In the category “Biggest MMO Disappointment of the year,” the SF MMO WildStar and the sandpark MMO ArcheAge, both launched this year, are currently in a tight race. WildStar has 33.9%, ArcheAge has 32.8% of the votes cast.
WildStar – not the game one hoped for
The disappointment with WildStar probably stems from the high expectations. For two consecutive years, the SF MMO has won the award for the MMO that people were most looking forward to. The release, as one of the authors writes, had little to do with what had been advertised a year earlier. Another mentions that as much as he wanted to love the game, he just couldn’t manage to play WildStar for an extended period.
The consensus seems to be what the editor-in-chief of the site, Brianna Royce, writes: WildStar is not a bad game, but it could have been so much more. Especially since the highest expectations of all MMOs this year were pinned on WildStar. The launch was okay, but the time after the release was not well handled by the studio, leaving behind a feeling of disappointment.
ArcheAge – “Mess” is still the nicest word
ArcheAge, on the other hand, has a completely different situation. Initially, there weren’t the expectations like there were for WildStar, but then players recognized the immense possibilities that the gameplay of ArcheAge could offer, until a series of absurd stories and problems raised doubts about the game and the publisher Trion Worlds.
The sandpark MMO is already leading in the category “The Biggest Story of the Year” significantly, as the drama surrounding Trion Worlds seems to have no end, starting with launch problems to hacking, cheats, and bots and server outages. The editors’ assessments here already lean towards gallows humor: “My favorite story is the one that’s currently trending and has ‘Trion Worlds’ in the title.”
Therefore, the comments regarding the disappointment around ArcheAge are also somewhat more bitter. One of the authors writes: “I usually wait until a game is cheap on Steam before buying, so I’m not often surprised by disappointments. However, as an observer, I still choose ArcheAge, as I have witnessed how the enormous enthusiasm for the game turned into sheer hopelessness.”
Another writer commenting on ArcheAge notes: “The biggest story for me is the complete horror show that ArcheAge presents. It seems to be a cautionary tale of how to destroy an MMORPG. And although it breaks my heart that this is happening to such a rich game full of potential, I still cannot stop watching.”
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The god MMO Skyforge is aware of its strengths, which include attention to detail in landscape design and up-to-date graphics. The developers invite players to view the world from an unusual perspective.
With a 3D panoramic image of the island, the developers from Team Allods are enticing curious players. On a special website, you can insert yourself into the picture, pan left and right, and let the landscape unfold.
The tropical resort “Naori Island” has also been touched by the war that dominates the world of Skyforge. The war left deep scars but could not harm the island’s natural beauty.
In the fantasy MMO World of Warcraft, players will soon be able to create the only prestige class to date, the Death Knight, even if they do not have a higher-level hero yet.
The Death Knight was introduced as a prestige class with “Wrath of the Lich King,” WoW’s second expansion, 6 years ago, and should remain the only one to this day. The Death Knight starts its adventure at level 55, so players previously needed a level 55 hero to create one. Blizzard states that this is no longer timely, especially considering the level 90 boost that came with Warlords of Draenor. In the future, anyone who wishes can create a Death Knight, as there will be no special restrictions anymore.
However, a client-side content patch is necessary for this, so it will take a little while until this comes into effect.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In the item shop of the free-to-play MMO Age of Conan, a character upgrade to level 80 is now available. Additionally, new membership offers are enticing players.
It seems that the character upgrade is a new trend established by Blizzard. With the latest expansion Warlords of Draenor, Blizzard introduced a character upgrade in World of Warcraft for the first time. Other game developers, such as Trion Worlds, took notice, and now in Rift, it has been possible to promote your character instantly to level 60 since “Nightmare Tides”.
Funcom, the developers of Age of Conan, are now following suit and offer an upgrade to level 80 in their item shop for €40. However, if you already own a level 80 character, you will receive a proud €10 discount. Additionally included in the package is a full blue set of equipment, a mount, potions, food, a 56-slot bag, and if you are a member, you will also receive 79 competence points for the AA system as a bonus.
Exclusive Membership Offers
Besides the upgrade, Funcom also offers exclusive membership deals. Here’s an overview:
Three Months Membership: Purchase or extend your membership for three months to receive an additional free month and 10 gilding tokens that you can invest in brand-new social items at the gilded leaf vendor.
Six Months Membership: Purchase or extend your membership for six months to receive two additional free months and 20 gilding tokens that you can invest in brand-new social items at the gilded leaf vendor.
Twelve Months Membership: Purchase or extend your membership for twelve months to receive four additional free months and 30 gilding tokens that you can invest in brand-new social items at the gilded leaf vendor. Furthermore, you can choose between the Chest of Immediate Bloodshed, which grants you a full set of PvP armor, weapons, and accessories of the first rank for your character’s class, or the Chest of the Raid Master, which grants you a full set of PvE armor, weapons, and accessories of the first rank for your character’s class.
For those considering trying out Age of Conan, now would be the most “affordable” moment. Here’s the launch trailer for Age of Conan Unchained:
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As the developer studio Square Enix announces in a press release, Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn currently has more than 2.5 million registered accounts worldwide.
A significant contribution to the success is the fact that Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn can be played on both PC and PlayStation. Another step towards 3 million was taken again yesterday: All PlayStation Plus members now have a free PS4 trial version available for download in the PSN Store. This trial version allows players to test the game for 14 days from creation and play a character up to level 20. On PC, this has been possible for several months now (here is the PC trial version of FFXIV).
In April of this year, the number of registered players was 2 million – an impressive figure for a formerly failed pay-to-play MMORPG that managed to impress critics and players with its remake. An increase of 500,000 accounts will likely be noted by Square Enix as a milestone. However, comparing the 2.5 million registered accounts to, for example, over 10 million active World of Warcraft subscriptions, it remains just a relatively small milestone.
Moreover, one should consider that there is usually a significant difference between active subscriptions and registered accounts. How many of the 2.5 million registered accounts are actually playing the game and thus paying about €12.99 every month to Square Enix remains unclear. Even if the active player numbers would be more interesting, a quick visit to the servers is enough to see that there is a lot going on in Eorzea. Overall, Final Fantasy 14 proudly looks back on a successful year, as was recently shown in an elaborate trailer.
In the future, players can look forward to the first expansion for Final Fantasy XIV: “Heavensward” is set to be released in Spring 2015. Here is the teaser for it:
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