ArcheAge: 10% founder bonus becomes 10% patron bonus: founders not happy about it

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 3 minutes

In the Sandpark MMO ArcheAge the 10% bonus, which has been much discussed, is now implemented, but it is not quite as announced. Nevertheless, players were able to enjoy a credit credit in the past few days.

The 10% bonus in ArcheAge is a somewhat complicated topic. Before the release, founder packages were advertised with the promise that players would receive a 10% discount on all purchases in the marketplace, the cash shop of ArcheAge. Items would cost founders 10% less. This was stated in the description as “after Launch” – after the launch.

Some players assumed that this meant: “The bonus is active immediately after the launch.” However, Trion Worlds said that they would implement it “sometime after launch.”

ArcheAge

Where is actually the founder bonus in ArcheAge?

When ArcheAge was released, players asked, “Where is actually the founder bonus?” Trion Worlds responded that they didn’t even know how to grant it. To achieve that, they needed the help of the Korean developers of ArcheAge at XLGames. They understand the misunderstanding, apologize for it, and will definitely follow up on it.

ArcheAge

A month then passed until it became clear that they could not grant the bonus as planned. That would have been too complex. During this time, XLGames preferred to work on new game content. However, they promised a “compensation,” a substitute. This has now been issued.

Instead of 10% more items, 10% more credits – but that’s not the same

Players receive 10% more credits for every credit purchase on the ArcheAge website. This applies retroactively from the head start on September 12. The only condition for this is that the players were “Patrons” at the time of purchase. Thanks to this regulation, some players received an email over the weekend and a credit of 10% of their purchased credits. This bonus will now continually be granted to all “Patrons.” Founders (those with the starter packages) do not benefit exclusively from this.

The catch: Originally (with the 10% discount), founders could have bought 10% more items with their credits included in the founder packages. That is no longer possible. Only more credits are flowing to players who purchased credits for real money directly from Trion Worlds. While all other credits are now essentially worth 110%, the originally special founder credits still remain worth 100%, even though these should actually be worth 110% (and all further purchases made by founders). One can imagine that founders are not exactly thrilled about not having received such an exclusive benefit. Already at head start, it became clear that the founder package did not function smoothly due to some bugs and issues. And that exclusive benefits were not exactly prevalent.

A little spicy is the fact that changes have been made to the cash shop over the weekend, which indirectly affect the attractive resource “Thunderstruck Tree.” The bonus credits that some players are now swimming in can easily flow away again.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. ArcheAge Forum

World of Warcraft: Most beautiful cosplay at Blizzcon – and no one has seen it

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 2 minutes

It took a cosplayer two years to create the perfect costume for World of Warcraft. At BlizzCon in Anaheim, she wanted to shine with it. She won the award for best cosplay, but no one saw the costume.

As “Grand Empress Shek’zeer,” the cosplayer “Py” wanted to shine at BlizzCon in Anaheim. Shek’zeer is the final boss from the Mists of Pandaria raid “Heart of Fear.” She worked on the costume for two years. To say it was elaborate is probably an understatement. She and her husband worked with heavy equipment on the Mantid costume. In the end, it was beautiful, but also incredibly heavy and uncomfortable.
Beforehand, Py asked the fans on her Facebook for understanding if she needed to take breaks: “Please remember that Shek is a physically extremely demanding costume. I might need to give my feet or back a break in between.”

The costume was assessed and judged by jurors before the presentation. When she wanted to leave the room, the empress got a toe caught in the carpet, fell, and there was damage to the costume. It could be repaired with a lot of dedication.

When she wanted to enter the BlizzCon stage to present the costume she had worked on for years to the audience, Py fell again, this time on a steep ramp. She severely injured her ankle. She was carried away in tears. Both she and her husband were inconsolable. She won the award for best cosplay anyway, although it’s a shame that fans couldn’t see her World of Warcraft costume live.

WorldofWarcraft-Cosplay

In the cosplay scene, there has been a request to share and publish pictures of her costume. We are happy to comply with this.

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Source(s):
  1. Facebook
  2. Polygon

Destiny: Why doesn’t Xur ever have the exotic item I want?

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 3 minutes

In the MMO shooter Destiny, Xur has been causing trouble for some time now. What is behind the fans’ frustration? A user on Reddit has calculated the probabilities behind the frustration.

Why does Xur only have cr…?

The black market dealer Xur regularly irritates the fans. In a Destiny popularity ranking, he ranks directly behind Guardian enemy No. 1, the Cryptarch Rahool, and just ahead of the Gorgons in the raid.

We report at mein-mmo.de every Friday on what colleague “Tentacle in the Face” has on offer. Hardly a week goes by without players swearing: This is definitely the last straw. He has nothing useful, and Bungie has simply failed to design this properly. One should stop playing this garbage game immediately and instead play something else – even if it’s Ponyhof Online. And LOL?! Bungie? Why am I even playing the only class, that always gets the same gloves?

A user on Reddit found the complaints of the fans too colorful and tackled the whole thing with cold mathematics – probably only until he doesn’t get what he wants himself, and then he gets just as upset as the rest of us.

Destiny-Sunbreakers

What a beautiful Christmas it will be

Every week, Xur has one of six armor pieces per class on offer. However, it is by no means the case that this always changes, and after six weeks, each piece will have been available once.

Probability calculation is nasty: If you already have five armor pieces, the probability that Xur now has exactly the missing one on offer and you stroll away from him with a grin is quite low. If, of course, you don’t have any exotic armor piece in Destiny yet, Xur always has something for you.

Mathematically speaking, the “expected” number of attempts until all six armor pieces per class have been available at least once in the black market shop in Destiny is: 15. Since Xur only comes every week, players can still wait until December 26 for it to be at least mathematically probable that they have seen each of their six class items at least once. So for all those Warlocks looking for their “Heart of Praxic Fire” (showcased in the title image), statistically, you’re not even up yet, and you only really have reason to be upset starting from Christmas. You could take a die and count the attempts until you’ve seen each of the six digits at least once.

Destiny-Patience_and_Time

For armor pieces, there are only 6 pieces per class that Xur can offer (3 helmets, 2 armors, and 1 pair of gloves) – but things look much darker with the weapons.

This is how the probabilities look for the exotic weapons in Destiny

Xur can offer twelve exotic weapons – not all exotic guns in Destiny, but enough to drive the Guardians insane. Statistically speaking, it will take until June 5, 2015, before each of them is “expected” to be available at least once. So: You out there, who are still waiting for Thunderlord, Mida-Multi-Tool, The Last Word, Plan C, Hard Light or the Universal Remote (these weapons have not been with Xur yet): it’s all still within reason. You just need patience and time – and no, not the gun of the same name –

Destiny-ThunderLord

By June 2015, new exotic weapons will likely be available in the shop anyway. With the expansions, new Exotics are expected to come. If you are interested in which exotic armors and weapons Xur has on offer, you can read about it in this article on Destiny.

More about the MMO shooter, where the biggest hate figures are merchant NPCs, can be found on our themed page for Destiny.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. Reddit

ArcheAge: Looking for property? Here is a real estate page

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 2 minutes

In the sandpark MMO ArcheAge there is now a page for property seekers where they can look for building plots. Wealthy landowners can sell building land here.

When we previously wrote about ArcheAge something like “ArcheAge – the game with the real estate shark” some of our readers rolled their eyes and thought we were exaggerating. No, we were not. By the head start, almost all plots were occupied. They serve to grow important resources that can then be resold or processed. And so, some laid the foundation for a later empire in the first hours – or at least created a basis for a decent income.

Demand for houses and plots remains high

Other players in ArcheAge have made a real business out of quickly reserving available building plots with scaffolding and then reselling them later for exorbitant prices. It doesn’t always go according to the rules. Meanwhile, Trion Worlds says, they have the problems in ArcheAge under control now.

ArcheAge-Dorf3


The demand for building plots is still high and could not be satisfied, although many wished it, by the 30% additional building plots that were recently introduced into the game. Because even when the northern continent of Auroria opened, the plots were occupied on almost all servers in no time.

Broker Website for All Servers

With Archbroker a site has now opened where buyers and sellers of real estate can come together. However, prices are being asked that are quite hefty – but you pay them in the game itself too, unless you have a guild that treats you well.

ArcheAge-FremdeWelt

At the moment, the project is still in its infancy and is primarily established on North American servers. But there are also one or two plots on European servers like Dahuta or Kyprosa. It’s definitely an interesting idea and a sign that the community is adapting to the wishes of the game.

While there were relatively soon detailed guides, event timers, or progress leaderboards for other games, there is, in ArcheAge, a real estate site. Because anyone who reveals their secrets or supposed tips here already faces flames in community forums. It is indeed a competitive game, and in the shark tank, things get rough.

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Source(s):
  1. reddit

H1Z1: It’s all about the size; Zombie MMO aims to outshine competition with a huge world

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 2 minutes

The survival MMO H1Z1 aims to encompass huge worlds with the help of new world-building tools while still looking handcrafted.

Once a week, a different developer working on H1Z1 steps out of the shadows at SOE and presents their work. This time it is Timothy Lochner, a tool and game system programmer at H1Z1: someone who deals with the technical nuances.

In H1Z1, you switch between first-person and third-person perspective

In a blog post, he explains in detail how H1Z1 wants to ensure that both first-person and third-person perspectives are synchronized. To achieve this, they needed to steer the Forgelight engine tested in Planetside 2 into unknown territory. Such synchronization was simply not necessary for PS2.

H1Z1-1vs4

Entering this new land caused difficulties: during the perspective switch, it was noticeable in the streams that the perspectives simply did not run in sync. Lochner has since fixed the error. His last weeks were likely spent on this.

SOE has more experience with “huge” than the competition

One of the fan questions Lochner answered in the video was how H1Z1 intends to stand out from the mass of zombie games. Lochner cited the size and experience of SOE as an advantage here. After all, they have gained extensive experience with huge worlds populated by many players through Everquest, Everquest 2, Planetside 2, and DC Universe Online. Individual developers or smaller indie studios in the zombie genre often struggle with this, according to Lochner.

H1Z1

With the new world-building tools, it is possible through special tricks to automatically generate large landscapes that still look handcrafted. Lochner envisions a huge yet soulful world from this advantage, which he – and certainly many fans – want to dive into as soon as possible.

Still no hint about Early Access for H1Z1

This week, there is not even a crumb of indication as to when it will go into Early Access.

H1Z1 is a survival MMO from Sony Online Entertainment. It is planned to be released first for PC and later for Playstation 4. It is designed as a free-to-play game. Players have been waiting for months for an Early Access on Steam. After an initial start date was given in spring that couldn’t be met, there has been silence since then. Whether it will be ready for Early Access in November remains unknown. Fans are impatient, though they are likely slowly getting used to the situation.
https://youtu.be/F5pf_uZEplc

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Source(s):
  1. H1Z1 Dev Blog

MMO shooter Firefall brings its first group dungeon

Nico Saborowski Nico Saborowski Reading time 2 minutes

Firefall, the free-to-play shooter, is getting its first group dungeon with patch 1.2 – at least that is what the developer Red5 announced on the official homepage. Furthermore, PvP players will be happy, as they can now earn rewards through quests.

Group Dungeon: “Operation: Miru”

Firefall Group Dungeon

While the endgame content of Firefall was previously determined by campaign missions in co-op, this is set to change with patch 1.2. The developer integrates the first group dungeon for five players into the free shooter game. Adventurers at level 40 can choose one of two sides in Operation: Miru. Depending on the decision, the further course of the battles within the instance will be influenced. The dungeon is hidden in the Devil’s Tooth area.

What else is coming?

Firefall Gameplay Screenshot

PvP has been more of an open-world affair in Firefall, and that will remain the case for now. Nevertheless, Red5 is thinking of the PvP players and is providing quests, gameplay improvements, and PvP world events. While the PvE lovers are rather roaming through the depths of Operation: Miru, the PvP players are fighting each other and are rewarded in the form of quest rewards. In the meantime, players are racing with their LBFs on marked tracks. These can already be tested on the test servers, while other content is still waiting. An exact release date is not yet known.

Firefall is a free MMO shooter that was released in the summer of 2014. After a long development time, Red5 has released a solid title that can impress with a breathtaking world. It is no wonder that the game has made it into our top 6 of the best free-to-play online shooters. You can download and play the game for free here on the official website.

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Source(s):
  1. firefall.com
  2. 1.2 Patch Preview

Heroes of the Storm: From Alpha to Closed Beta

Nico Saborowski Nico Saborowski Reading time < 1 minutes

The Closed Beta of Heroes of the Storm has now been officially announced. Selected players will be able to dive into the MOBA action on January 13, 2015. At BlizzCon, the developer Blizzard also presented a video showcasing new classes and game modes.

New Heroes in the Closed Beta

Joining the existing champions are the sorceress Jaina and Thrall, the leader of the Horde. In addition, players will be able to test their skills on the new battlegrounds “Sky Temple” and “Tomb of the Spider Queen”. To make Heroes of the Storm suitable for eSports, Blizzard is also integrating a ladder for a competitive gaming experience. You can find the complete trailer presented at BlizzCon 2014 here:

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  1. eu.battle.net/heroes

Overwatch: How to sign up for the Beta

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time < 1 minutes

You can now sign up for the beta of Blizzard’s new shooter franchise “Overwatch“. We will tell you how to do it.

Just yesterday, the franchise “Overwatch” was presented to fans in Anaheim at Blizzcon. And the lucky ones who were there could already play their rounds on set up and previously darkened computers in the team shooter. Those who want to join them (not in Anaheim, but in the game) now have the opportunity to register for the Overwatch beta. It’s not a problem at all. Here is the official Overwatch page and beta registration. This will be done through your Battle.net account.

However, there are no guarantees that you will be chosen for the beta. The beta started in October 2015 and there will be new waves of invitations gradually from that point on.

Overwatch is set to release on PC. However, Blizzard seems open to a possible console port as well. There is no definitive information on that yet.

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Overwatch contains elements of Titan, draws comparisons to Team Fortress 2

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time < 1 minutes

Blizzard’s new franchise “Overwatch” is what remained of the mammoth project Titan. This was recently confirmed by Chris Metzen. Meanwhile, the shooter draws parallels to Valve’s “Team Fortress 2”.

Last night at Blizzcon in Anaheim, “Overwatch”, Blizzard’s new shooter franchise, was presented. The first reactions draw strong parallels to the Valve shooter “Team Fortress 2”. It also packs vibrant colors and an over-the-top approach into the mix, and is regarded as a model for a free-to-play approach that leaves the players’ wallets alone and truly only offers cosmetic items in the shop.

However, Overwatch does not have its roots directly in Team Fortress 2, but more in the canceled homegrown project Titan. As Chris Metzen, who is responsible at Blizzard for “franchises and their development”, said yesterday, some elements from Titan will now find their continuation in Overwatch. But even if some elements of Overwatch originated in Titan, the two games are still quite different.

Just a few months ago, Blizzard publicly announced that they would not be able to handle their mammoth project Titan. Titan was probably intended as a wild mix of shooter and MMORPG, but never really came together. According to the developers, they never found the passion for the project. In the aftermath, many influences were mentioned for Titan. Some spoke of a mix of The Sims, World of Warcraft, and Team Fortress 2. It now seems clear which of these elements Blizzard got hooked on and which ones they chose.

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Source(s):
  1. Polygon

Destiny announces new shaders and weapons; wants to make item upgrades and materials more interesting

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 3 minutes

In the MMO shooter Destiny , a whole range of new features is promised in the coming weeks: Guardians can expect new shaders, even stronger legendary items, new options and materials for upgrading items, and a more generous loot distribution from the Cryptarch.

On the night from Friday, November 7th to Saturday, the weekly update for Destiny was released. This is not a patch but a blog post from Bungie to the fans. We have summarized this for you in a Destiny news article.

The community manager DeeJ mentioned this time that he had consulted with the team responsible for improvements based on player feedback directly in Destiny. And so, two days ago, he stood at a whiteboard and feverishly wrote down everything the team had planned in terms of improvements.

Destiny-Concept-Art-Giant-Frog

More Interesting Upgrade System for Exotic Weapons in Destiny

Four points have already been announced in recent weeks, which are:

  • Options to talk to teammates with whom you were matched via matchmaking – this should remain optional, only at request.
  • Exotic weapons that are more powerful than they currently are. They should also be more interesting to upgrade.
  • New items that make you a little bit more legendary.
  • The new expansion “The Dark Below.”

What does this mean? Voice chat during matchmaking and the expansion are clear and known. That certain exotic weapons like Thorn, Bad Juju, and the Vex Mythoclast (which in PvE) are supposed to become stronger than now, is also known. What Bungie means by “more interesting to upgrade” is not entirely clear. This could hint at possibilities to upgrade current exotic items from 30 to 32 with the expansion. It could also mean something else – such as a wider selection of upgrades.

With the “new items” that are a bit more legendary, perhaps the items are meant, which will come with “The Dark Below”. Here, items are expected to be significantly stronger than the current ones – having a higher “item level.” But the next Iron Banner is also rumored to bring legendary items, with which non-raiders can at least almost reach level 30 (an Exotic and a Raid Legendary will still be needed).

Destiny DLC Screenshot3

Friendlier Cryptarch, New Sources for Upgrade Materials in Destiny

DeeJ announces a total of eight new points:

  • New Shaders for the Guardians’ gear.
  • The ability to view items in the preview before spending Glimmer on them.
  • A higher chance for special features during Public Events.
  • Some areas are to be better tuned to meet traffic requirements.
  • New “economic methods” are to come to provide players with upgrade materials.
  • Fixes, patches, and other invisible improvements.
  • A few tricks that are not revealed yet.
  • And possibly an even more generous Cryptarch. (But he is still supposed to remain a rascal)

What does this mean? With the shaders, DeeJ might have hinted at what data miners recently found for “The Dark Below” – thus also options to mix shaders. Furthermore, the “new economies” could be interesting for the upgrade materials and of course, the slightly friendlier Cryptarch. He is responsible for what comes out of the engrams (a kind of Destiny surprise egg) in terms of items.

If upgrading items is to become more interesting, new materials could be introduced. Some evidence suggests this: Data miners have also been fruitful here.

Destiny Screenshot Mount

Bungie Loves You

However, DeeJ did not want to provide specifics about the individual points. This will be announced later in patch notes, forum posts, and love messages to the fans. For the moment, they only wanted to outline in broad strokes what they are planning and show the fans that they are thinking of them.

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Source(s):
  1. Bungie.net

ArcheAge: “The land distribution in Auroria went (almost) as it should”

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 2 minutes

In the sandpark MMO ArcheAge a letter from producer Victoria Voss has appeared, addressing the opening of Auroria. She dismissed accusations from the community that too much land had been snatched away by hacks and botters. Only twenty of several thousand accounts were found to exhibit suspicious behavior.

The error in the US was found too late

Auroria, as Victoria Voss makes clear, did not run well in North America: Numerous players missed the hunt for Auroria as they were unable to log in. The connection problems in the US appeared unexpectedly. During testing, there was no sign of this.

ArcheAge Auroria

In diagnosing the problem, Trion Worlds made a mistake and initially suspected the issue to be with the systems for which they were responsible. However, the error occurred in the game itself. By the time they tracked down the problem, it was too late to change anything. Stopping the servers would have done nothing at that point. A rollback was also not possible. To avoid such difficulties in the future, they plan to open a test server.

In Europe, however, the difficulties never arose; the launch of Auroria went smoothly here.

Land distribution was legal

Many players – even in Europe – complained over the last two days that the unlocked building areas in Auroria were allegedly occupied by hackers. Trion Worlds sees it differently. In the lead-up to Auroria, they neutralized two of the most well-known hacking tools.

When the land was then distributed, they observed attentively from the outside. Of the thousands of logged-in players, only twenty had irregularities noted. They had ended up with disproportionately much land. They will check this and possibly reclaim what they have acquired.

ArcheAge-FremdeWelt

The sooner players understand that ArcheAge is a sandbox, the better for the community

They have investigated many accusations that players had cheated. The majority of these accusations proved unfounded. Other players had simply utilized the capabilities of their class better, acted more coordinated, and thereby secured the land. The exploitation of all these possibilities is what a sandbox is about. ArcheAge is significantly more focused on competition among players than normal PvE MMOs. The sooner players understand this, the better it will be for the community. Especially players from well-cooperating guilds were able to secure many building areas.

They heard from many players that the opening of Auroria provided them with exactly the gaming experience they had hoped for. There are tens of thousands of new and legitimate landowners in ArcheAge.

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Source(s):
  1. ArcheAge Producer Letter

Overwatch: Blizzard is quietly developing a new game!

Cortyn Cortyn Reading time < 1 minutes

In addition to the announcements for Hearthstone, WoW, Starcraft, and Heroes of the Storm, Blizzard has added a major announcement along with a big trailer: Overwatch!

Overwatch is the new game from Blizzard and for the first time, the developers are trying their hand at an online shooter – a purely team-based game with MOBA elements, where battles will take place in a 6vs6 format. There will be different game modes, such as capturing control points or payload delivery. The graphics are in a comic style and strongly resemble a mix of Borderlands, Team Fortress, and WildStar.

The first gameplay trailer of the sci-fi multiplayer shooter looked absolutely outstanding, and I make no secret that I am once again hyped to the core. The characters have completely convinced me already, and it looks like a lot of fun – I am looking forward to blasting friends with my friends.

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The beta for “Overwatch” will begin in 2015, and you can register for it here: www.playoverwatch.com. We will keep you updated if there are any further announcements!

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HearthStone: Addon “Goblins against Gnomes” is coming next month!

Cortyn Cortyn Reading time < 1 minutes

BlizzCon kicks off with a bang: The next expansion for Blizzard’s virtual card game “HearthStone” is not just in the works, but nearly finished – so finished that it will be released next month!

The creation will be called “Goblins vs. Gnomes” and introduce a total of 120 new cards, of which a handful have already been shown. Most thematically revolve around Gnomes, Goblins, and their zany inventions “exploding sheep” and the “Nerv-o-tron”.

Hearthstone Cards Goblin vs Gnome

In the upcoming events at BlizzCon, we will surely learn more about the expansion, of course including the first cards and possibly how they will be obtained (so far we know that they can definitely be earned in the Arena), or how much Gold or real money they will cost – we will keep you updated!

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Source(s):
  1. eu.battle.net/hearthstone/

Hearthstone, World of Warcraft: Alleged leaks about WoW add-on Eye of Azshara and new Death Knight class in HS

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 3 minutes

On the occasion of Blizzcon in Anaheim, speculations are running hot on the internet about a possible new class in Hearthstone and a 2016 expansion for World of Warcraft that has already been announced. They are citing alleged leaks.

Great things cast their shadows ahead and the significant gaps in the Blizzcon schedule all the more. At the moment, a few hours of programming are missing from the Blizzcon schedule in Anaheim: From tonight at 20:45 our time until 23:15, nothing is planned, and yet this is the best airtime immediately after the opening. “There could be a big surprise coming!” has been speculated for weeks. Indeed, when considering the schedule, some highlights and “WoW” effects are missing in the Blizzcon cocktail.

However, there is no shortage of theories on how Blizzard intends to fill this supposed gap. Some speculate about a completely new game, perhaps a shooter. Others talk about Warcraft 4, the next Diablo expansion, or that Blizzard is going to drop another bombshell. But the two current games in the Warcraft universe World of Warcraft and Hearthstone could perhaps use a surprise; the launch of Warlords of Draenor in a few days and that there will also be an expansion for Hearthstone is certainly not exactly dynamite.

A particularly spectacular theory, reportedly from someone who knows someone working at Blizzard and who knows something precise, claims that Blizzard will announce the next add-on “Eye of Azshara” for World of Warcraft at Blizzcon. This is planned for the first quarter of 2016 and would become the so-called South Sea add-on: Azshara rises from the depths of the South Sea along with her ancient throne city Nazjatar, Blizzard’s answer to Atlantis, and takes a stand against Azeroth.

The Alliance is working, in collaboration with an uncorrupted faction of Highborne, to stop her, while the Horde forms an alliance with the Nagas – but these are not to become playable races.
Azshara is being supported in her endeavors by Sargeras, and the entire expansion aims to establish the Burning Legion as the next major theme of an expansion.
Allegedly, all of this will be presented in a spectacular trailer narrated by Martin Sheen in his role as Nozdormu.

Hearthstone-Death Knight

Also in the “leak” offering: Allegedly, in addition to the Hearthstone expansion, a new class is also coming: the Death Knight. Strange things have already been found, such as leaked pics and some traces in the code.

Mein MMO says: Leaks and speculation are always exciting, but these seem to be even more cautiously taken than usual. There might really be something to the “Eye of Azshara” matter. However, the “leak” now contains no surprising details but is a plausible result when connecting several open points. The South Sea has been an idea floating around for a long time, Azshara is an open thread, the trademark was recently registered, and that the Burning Legion is to be built up as a major antagonist is also reasonable. Therefore, one could come to this conclusion even without a crazy leak. This is always a strange problem with leaks: If they sound too plausible, they could have easily been made up by someone.

In contrast, the idea of the Death Knight class in Hearthstone seems quite unlikely, but this does not make it credible. The introduction of a new class has been denied multiple times, and just recently. It would simply complicate everything too much. Although there are considerations for introducing new “heroes”, this merely means different skins for the currently existing classes. Instead of Garrosh Hellscream, another warrior.
We are eagerly awaiting the events of Blizz-Con.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. MMO-Champion Forum (Spekulationen WoW)
  2. Load The Game

Hearthstone: Outsourced – Blizzard wins legal battle against Chinese copy on iOS and Android

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time < 1 minutes

Blizzard has won a lawsuit against a Chinese copycat: they had brazenly copied the logo, design, and concept of Hearthstone .

As mmoculture reports, Blizzard and NetEase have prevailed in a court in Shanghai. The China-based developer “Unico” must cease distributing the game “Legends of Crouching Dragon”. Furthermore, they must financially compensate both Blizzard and the Chinese publisher of Hearthstone, NetEase.

Recently, mmoculture further reports, Chinese copycats and plagiarists are increasingly facing consequences. Other publishers have also legally acted against such practices. Recently we reported on a similar case where a Chinese company released a “Real-Life” version of Hearthstone, likely without Blizzard’s consent.

The card game “Legend of Crouching Dragon” is (or now better was) ironically a mobile game for iOS and Android. Blizzard is currently working on the port for the original itself. According to earlier reports from mmoculture, the “clone” includes about 800 cards and pads Blizzard’s concept with some elements from the world of “A Romance of Three Kingdoms”. The eponymous novel also provides the material for the “Dynasty Warriors” series.

According to reports from January 2014, Blizzard and NetEase had sued Unico for about 1.6 million US dollars back then. The amount that was ultimately settled is not known.

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Source(s):
  1. MMOCulture (Summe und Gerichtsverfahren)
  2. MMOCulture (Spiel-Design)

South Park explains micro-transactions: Is every Free2Play MMO just Pay2Win rip-off?

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 2 minutes

The satirical animated series South Park tackles a hot topic in the MMO market in the latest episode: Free2Play games that are not as free as they claim.

Even today, the “Make Love, not Warcraft” episode of South Park shapes the image that many have of MMO players. The clip frequently resurfaces on the internet when it is supposed to ironically or not-so-ironically show what MMO addiction can do.

In the latest episode of South Park “Freemium isn’t free” from November 5th, the focus is once again on MMOs. But a lot of time has passed since “Make Love not Warcraft”. This time, the spotlight is not on the paid MMORPGs of the past, but South Park addresses so-called “Free2Play” mobile titles, which mainly include what are known as Facebook games or casual games (whose influence is now also noticeable in the MMO market).

In the episode, the Canadian government (the Prince of Canada and his sinister henchman, the Minister of Mobile Games) has launched a pretty cheap casual game to fill their empty coffers with US dollars. They explain the concept behind this supposedly cheap idea to the two angry Canadian celebrities, Terrance and Phillip. Here’s an excerpt:

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With all the exaggeration and cynicism, South Park is not alone in this portrayal. As extreme as the views of the creators may seem, the current free-to-play model in MMOs is under criticism – even experts who deal with the subject daily see the current trend in the industry critically. A slightly deeper insight is provided by this video:

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However, not every Free2Play game is automatically bad or condemnable. Even the extremely successful MOBA League of Legends or Blizzard’s free card game Hearthstone rely on a free-to-play model. They ensure that the items purchased with real money do not grant direct advantages in the game and can also be reasonably acquired without spending money.

MMO - free-to-play vs pay-to-play

This graphic shows the advance of Free2Play games and microtransactions compared to the previously dominant “payment models” of MMOs. In this article, we take a closer look at the current figures and trends.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. Kotaku

DC Universe Online: Flying was yesterday, Skimming is today

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 2 minutes
Joker in DC Universe Online

In the superhero and supervillain MMO DC Universe Online, the new movement method “Skimming” is introduced. Like Mister Miracle, heroes and villains will soon be able to move through the world on two air discs.

DC Universe Online is an MMO with strong arcade influences and one of the few MMOs currently available for console players. For the developer Sony Online Entertainment, the game proves to be a stroke of luck, the microtransactions make the game the most profitable MMO in SOE’s stable.

Although it may not have a very strong presence in Europe, the heroes of DC remain somewhat in the slipstream of Marvel, at least in Germany. Apart from Superman and Batman, as well as the associated supervillains, the recognition of DC heroes in Germany is probably not very high. Most people are still trying to forget the last “Green Lantern” movie. And this is currently playing a remarkable role in DC Universe Online.

For the first time since its release, a new movement method has been announced in DC Universe Online. In “Skimming,” the hero or villain stands on two “Aero Discs” and can move through the world this way. Gameplay-wise, it’s not a big deal: Skimming shares a skill tree with “Flight.” Subscribers, or rather quasi-subscribers, get “Skimming” for free, while Free2Play players can obtain it from the cash shop.

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In this article, we take a closer look at DCUO and give an initial impression of the game.

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Source(s):
  1. Massively

The Secret World previews release #10, it’s really the different MMO

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 2 minutes

The Dark Fantasy and Conspiracy MMO The Secret World provides an outlook on the next update and proves once again that it is a completely different kind of MMO. While other games transport us to fantasy worlds, the Buy2Play MMO “The Secret World” introduces a twisted and contorted version of our world, where nothing is as it seems.

The-Secret-World-Halloween

The Secret World is different. This can be seen time and again. For the world in which The Secret World takes place, as fantastic as it may be, is deeply rooted in our reality: A kind of funhouse mirror of what we can see when we turn on the news or step outside. And if you read the producer’s letter, which gives an outlook on issue #10 and introduces the key players of the update, you will read about a Jungian, hour hotels, and worn-out private detectives.

In issue #10, you will delve deeper into Kaidan, investigate the “Orochi” Corporation, and likely see only superficially attractive things in the erotic temple “Palace of Dreams”.

When the update will be released is still unknown. “Soon,” it says. The update is also expected to include an expansion of the AEGIS system. At the moment, The Secret World is inviting everyone: Halloween events are still running until November 13th. And if there’s an MMO you should visit this Halloween, it’s probably TSW.

You can read the producer’s letter to the fans here.

If you have never heard of The Secret World and want to get an impression of the game, we recommend our TSW impression “The best single-player MMO you’ve never played” to you.

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Destiny Xur: These exotic items are being sold by the Agent of the Nine today

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 3 minutes

In the shared-world shooter Destiny , Xur, the Agent of the Nine and vendor of exotic weapons and armor, is once again offering a selection of exquisite items this weekend. In our Destiny News, you can read all about it.

You can count on Xur. Although tentacles peek out from under his hood, no one knows what he is really up to, and the guy has hours that would make even a degenerate mafia heir envious: At least he is punctual. On Friday at 10 AM, he reappears in the Tower and offers his wares.

He doesn’t care about daylight saving time; that’s a matter for us mortals; we must adjust to him. This means: In winter, he is around at 10 AM in Germany, in summer then at 11 AM.

Destiny Moon Battle

Agent of the Nine is a reliable source for exotic weapons in Destiny

Recently, players discovered what Xur can sell. No one was disappointed. He offers all 18 exotic armor pieces available in the game for strange coins, the strange coins. Guardians can obtain them best by diligently completing the weekly strikes.

Regarding weapons, Xur cannot offer all exotic weapons from Destiny, but at least some. He sells in bulk: Depending on what exotic weapons he has available, the texture of the entire game and the balancing change. Since he offered Icebreaker a few weeks ago, everyone has been hoping for a Nightfall Strike to finally have the Solar Burn bonus. And after he sold Suros Regime, the power dynamics in the Crucible changed.

Destiny Art

The rarest weapon in Destiny, the Fate of all Fools, was also available this week for a Guardian, but not from Xur.

Everything about Xur, the Agent of the Nine, on the weekend of November 7th to November 9th.

When does Xur appear in the Tower?

Xur comes on Friday, November 7th, at 10 AM our time. He stays until Sunday, November 9th, at 10 AM.

Bungie tweeted this at 9:53. Apparently, they did not mean “one hour”, but just 7 minutes. Phew, it seemed like there would be a delay.

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Where is Xur in the Tower (Xur Location)?
Xur is at the Hangar. The location is made even clearer in this video:

What exotic weapons and armor does Xur have this time for Hunters, Warlocks, and Titans?
This week, Hunters in Destiny can acquire an exotic helmet for 13 strange coins. The “Mask of the Third Man”.
For Titans, there is once again a chest armor this week. However, not the Armamentarium as in previous weeks, but the Crest of Alpha Lupi. It’s available for 13 strange coins.
For Warlocks, Xur this week has once again the Sunbreakers, exotic gloves, on offer. And he wants 13 strange coins for them. Dude, do you even praise the sun?
For 17 strange coins, this week there is the exotic rocket launcher “The Truth”.
And for 23 Light particles, he has an exotic helmet engram, from which one of 9 exotic helmets in the game can drop. The engram doesn’t care whether a Guardian, Titan, or Warlock opens it. So it can drop a helmet that the opening Guardian cannot equip.

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WildStar: Last Chance? The big content update will be released on November 11!

Cortyn Cortyn Reading time 3 minutes

Yesterday, the developers of Carbine finally decided on a definitive date for the long-awaited “Contendrop 3” to hit the megaservers of WildStar. The targeted date is Tuesday, November 11 – just in time for the carnival season. Regardless of this date, the content update “The Secret of the Primary Genesis” will likely also significantly decide the future of WildStar. Whether all masks will fall or the party will really get going will become clear in the coming days. In the meantime, we have the highlights of the patch for you here.

New Area: The Corruption

  • WildStar - Corruption Monster
  • WildStar Black Focus
  • WildStar - Corruption Zone

The new quest area for players at level 50 continues the ongoing storyline around Drusera, the entity, and the transmutation and is consequently located in the Gram Chamber. The new area features several small sub-zones, and it has been ensured that both solo players and fans of large events have plenty to do again. While monster hunting and collecting objects in the usual manner to gradually conquer the area, hints are piling up that dear Drusera might not have been as honest with you as one had hoped…

In the “Tormented Traverse,” a group of nearly 20 players is needed to master the public event. Here, it’s about keeping the “Terror Observer” in check and ultimately clearing the way to the Light Column so you can enter the OMNIkern.

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The OMNIkern – Epic Instance for Solo Players

  • WildStar Solo Instance
  • WildStar Solo Instance
  • WildStar Solo Dungeon

Above all, the main story is to be advanced substantially, mainly through the new solo instance “The OMNIkern.” This is meant to keep the players entertained for quite a while and represents that kind of content that “the developers have always wished for solo players.”

In addition to a dense atmosphere, a lot of story, fully voiced dialogues, and epic cutscenes, there is also plenty of loot waiting for brave adventurers who want to get to the bottom of Drusera’s origin and the disappearance of the legendary Eldan. And the best part: The story instance can be repeated, which is why there can also be different rewards each time!

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Housing – More and Better

Housing is also fundamentally overhauled and improved. The limits for all decorations on the property are massively increased, allowing up to 2000 objects to be placed now. But that’s not all: Lights can now be turned on and off, you can actually sit on benches and chairs, and the music of the home can be freely chosen. Different textures for the floor and fade-in and fade-out grass round off the overall package and allow for even greater customization of the home. Undoubtedly, one of the best aspects of the game has been significantly improved once again.

Bug Fixes, Bug Fixes, and More Bug Fixes…

Especially for fixing errors in the game, a lot of time was taken this time, as the complete list of patch notes is over 100 pages long. That would be too much to list everything here; however, all the changes read as if WildStar is now the game that was hoped for at release.

WildStar Contentdrop 3

Whether all this is enough to lift WildStar out of the seemingly endless swamp of negative news can only be shown by time – however, the date of the patch release is interestingly chosen, as two days later the addon for “World of Warcraft” is released and here it seems likely that the majority of the remaining players will be lost. We will keep you updated.

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Source(s):
  1. www.wildstar-online.com