Wargaming has published the third part of the developer diary for the new tactical shooter World of Warships.
The developer video focuses on the aircraft carrier and its strategic deployment options on the battlefield. The aircraft carrier has four different types of attack aircraft squadrons (dive bombers, torpedo bombers, scouts, and fighters) launched from the ship to directly engage in combat.
Update 9:25: Trion Worlds has reacted to the fans’ protests and significantly postponed the start. Server maintenance, which is supposed to precede the update in ArcheAge, will now begin at 12 PM our time. If it really lasts 6 hours as intended, Auroria would open at 6 PM.
Original message:
Originally, Tuesday, the 4th of November, had been announced as the date – then the hunt for the coveted areas on the northern continent Auroria in ArcheAge was to begin. Now the date has been set to the 5th of November, as announced by Trion Worlds in the forum to the fans. The server downtime is scheduled for 4 AM our time. Maintenance is expected to last six hours. It would be 10 AM when the hunt for the Anya veins begins.
Americans will receive the update several hours before Europeans if everything goes according to plan. Whether it will really be 10 AM in Germany when it starts remains uncertain. The official release date was also recently pushed back.
Much trouble over the early start date in ArcheAge
It is generally expected that there will be a rush to Auroria. Only four guilds can secure areas. The others will initially go empty-handed. To secure an area, however, quite a bit of work is required; Anya veins must be harvested, ore processed, a special trade package crafted, and finally transported safely to the location.
The fans are outraged about the early time of 10 AM in Europe in the Trion Worlds forum. Especially since it is supposed to take place in the middle of the week. Players with fixed working hours feel disadvantaged. In the USA, they have at least moved to the afternoon according to Pacific Time and want to start around 2 PM local time – if everything goes smoothly.
Before the release, Trion Worlds had promised that they would offer separate Auroria start dates for Europe and the USA – which they are doing. However, they mentioned in a stream that they would go live during “prime time.” Given the current statements, this seems hardly possible unless the maintenance works are delayed significantly.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The MMO Destiny wants to win back fans like Eminem, who have become a bit bored with the game, with new content and hard work.
How does Destiny plan to bring back bored gamers?
On the sidelines of the Paris Game Week, the French-speaking online magazine playfrance.com had the opportunity for a brief interview with Harold Ryan, the head of Bungie. He was asked, among other things, about the rapper Eminem, who allegedly finds Destiny bored and has traded the MMO shooter for a game on the WII U.
Ryan laughed and said they would continue to work on improving Destiny, expanding it with new content, and making the gaming experience even more entertaining. They hope to see players who have set Destiny aside to play something else again. After all, the game is still young. At Bungie, they are committed to meeting fan expectations.
When asked about criticism of the game, Ryan replied that the sales figures are fantastic and the ongoing statistics on player count and playtime are outstanding. However, he admitted that the criticism was sometimes quite harsh. Yet he knows some who, despite their devastating criticism, were still playing Destiny seven weeks later. Nevertheless, they are aware of the weaknesses and are working to address them. All in all, most people enjoy Destiny and have fun playing, and that is what makes the Bungie team proud.
Destiny is to be made more accessible and better told
For the next expansion “Darkness Awaits”, “The Dark Below,” they have already integrated fan feedback. Just two weeks ago, they completed the development. Players wanted mainly easier access and more options to connect with other players. Additionally, they are taking a new approach to storytelling: they want to tell stories in a way that makes it easier for players to understand and immerse themselves more deeply in the world of Destiny.
As it goes, playfrance wanted to know from Ryan how it felt to work with Activision instead of Microsoft. Ryan’s response: The main difference is that they are now active on multiple platforms. This allows them to reach other player groups beyond just Americans. The Xbox, for which they produced when they worked with Microsoft, was mainly popular in North America. Now they are looking forward to their games being playable on PlayStation as well.
In the meantime, Destiny has also found another way to provide players with good reasons for a return. You can find more about the MMO shooter on our thematic page.
Recommended editorial content
At this point you will find external content from YouTube that complements the article.
I consent to external content being displayed to me. Personal data can be transmitted to third party platforms.
Read more about our privacy policy.
In the SF-MMO WildStar , the reviews from current and former employees regarding management are not exactly flattering. There are mentions of a “Boy’s Club” and rigid hierarchies.
The site “glassdoor.com” is a kind of “employees rate their company” site in the USA. Glassdoor aims to give job seekers a taste of what they can really expect at the company. They collect anonymous reviews and experiences from alleged employees of these companies. These need to be taken with caution, as people are not exactly super balanced and objective when writing such things. The anonymity also tempts people to let loose. However, other major software studios have received good reviews and reports on glassdoor. So it’s not just a pure “trash” site for venting.
According to anonymous reports, the fish at Carbine stinks from the top
The reviews for Carbine, the studio behind WildStar, have been mixed for a while. Now, the US site “The Escapist” has drawn attention to this – and MMO sites like massively are already reporting on it.
The criticism from employees mainly refers to the management behind Carbine. There is said to be a small circle of “boys” who promote and support each other, according to a report. Doubts are cast on the competence of the supervisors.
Colleagues and employees, on the other hand, receive good reviews. The game WildStar also comes out excellently. According to the reviews, the fish at the top seems to stink. Issues in communication, a toxic work environment, and incompetence in management are identified. The pressures are extremely high, salaries low, and promotion opportunities nearly nonexistent.
Former employees: The departure of Gaffney hit the studio hard
The Escapist managed to get a former Carbine employee to provide a statement. However, the individual wishes to remain anonymous. According to this anonymous source, it’s not as bad as in the worst reports. However, the departures of key employees have left a void that needs to be filled. In particular, the departure of Jeremy Gaffney for personal reasons reportedly hit Carbine hard: “When the head of a studio leaves, passion and dedication often go with them.”
The layoffs of employees are seen by the anonymous source as part of the industry. Once an MMO is released, it requires significantly fewer employees to maintain it. Therefore, the frequent layoffs in the industry occur: “Like in any other job, things just happen.”
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The fantasy MMO The Elder Scrolls Online will receive patch 1.5.2 on Tuesday, November 4th, in the morning. We have the patch notes for you, and they are really long.
Patch 1.5.2 will be applied to the US megaserver on Monday evening for The Elder Scrolls Online. Here in Germany, we can expect this on Tuesday morning at 4:00 AM. Update 5 makes significant changes to The Elder Scrolls Online. Especially crafters and dungeon fans can look forward to a lot. With the veteran version of “City of Ash,” new endgame content is introduced, speech bubbles and improved facial animations provide a better experience. Additionally, a myriad of improvements, fixes, and little things are brought to The Elder Scrolls Online.
By the way: A change was reverted at the last minute. New players do not start with light armor as temporarily seen on the test server, but are still dressed in rags. However, they can already find armor in the tutorial area.
According to users on reddit who have already downloaded the US update, the patch is approximately 13 gigabytes in size.
In Blizzard’s free online card game Hearthstone, the port for iPhones and those smartphones using the Android operating system is in progress. But no matter the medium: The world of Hearthstone should remain united. Everyone will be able to play against and with each other, if Blizzard has its way. And it does have its way. However, a trading system is unlikely to ever be introduced in the game.
While the port for smartphones is still taking time, Hearthstone is set to make it to Android tablets this year. It has already been running on the iPad for some time. However, the more platforms that enjoy Hearthstone, the greater the question of whether they would all play together.
The key for small displays should lie in the minimalist interface
“Yes,” says Hamilton Chu, the producer of Hearthstone, in an interview with PC Gamer. He thinks it’s great to have a single huge player base: “When you play, you have no idea if the opponent is on a PC or an iPad. It doesn’t matter. It is irrelevant for the game and for the players among themselves.”
With Hearthstone, a lot of effort has gone into the user interface and every single button has been questioned regarding its function to make the UI as simple and user-friendly as possible. This is precisely what they want to benefit from with the port to devices with smaller displays.
Trading cards will likely never come
A feature that is often talked about is the possibility of trading cards with each other. However, Chu dismisses this. It isn’t because they had mixed experiences with the auction house in Diablo at Blizzard, but rather the approach they wish to take for Hearthstone. If there were an auction house, there would also be card values, discussions about what a certain card is worth or not, and numerous other aspects that they do not want in Hearthstone.
In social interactions, they also pursue a “less is more” philosophy. The limited way of communicating through pre-made short emotes excludes possibilities for truly “negative” behavior and leaves it up to the player to consider what the opponent means with a certain action. For the future, they are working on a “spectator” mode.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
A fifteen-minute documentary has now been released for the space game Elite: Dangerous, giving interested fans a behind-the-scenes look.
Elite: Dangerous, a passion project by David Braben, has a truly long tradition. It all began in 1984 (the documentary features images from that time) with the first Elite. The franchise gained fame and glory in the mid-90s.
Now Braben is back with a Kickstarter project, and he and some of the people he has gathered around him are – as can also be seen in the documentary – already of an advanced age. They feel committed to the vision they once developed and want to reinterpret the “Frontier spirit” of the classics with today’s technological possibilities.
One of the interesting issues highlighted in the documentary revolves around the whole “There are no sounds in space” story. As the “Head of Audio”, Jim Cross, says, that is indeed a realization of science that he prefers to ignore due to his work. Ultimately, compromises must be made. For the game, it is essential to allow sound effects.
The MMO shooter Destiny now attracts wayward players with enticing gifts. Legendary weapons are to be distributed for free.
Destiny has been on the market for almost two months now and even though some events provided variety, not everyone who bought the game in September is still playing. In the long term, Bungie is certainly planning to bring players back with the new DLC in December. But until then, they are not sitting idle. As some players report on Reddit, they received an email from Bungie after about a month of not logging into Destiny.
Bungie lures players back to Destiny with tips and an experience points boost
The email contained requests to take on the challenge and log back in. Apparently, there are various versions of these emails. One lower-level player received a message from the Vanguard, promising an EXP bonus if he logged back in. These boosts double the amount of experience points gained for half an hour. The Guardian receives three of them. The email also contains some tips on how to quickly reach level 20. Bungie advises to tackle the patrol missions. Combined with the experience points bonus, this should ensure the Guardian progresses quickly in Destiny.
Another email, apparently addressed to a Guardian above level 20, encourages the Guardian to take on the challenge in the raid “The Vault of Glass”. Here, a legendary weapon is promised to ease the way beyond level 20. Again, Bungie has tips available (we also). To progress beyond level 20, the player should participate in the Vanguard Strikes, collect marks, and stock up on legendary items from the vendors. Additionally, there is another chance for a legendary Engram upon completing each strike.
Clearly, the emails are a targeted action by Bungie. They have considered what might cause players to stop playing. Perhaps because they do not understand a system or do not see a true goal. To address these difficulties, they not only provide hints on what to do next but also concrete support.
In the sandpark MMO ArcheAge , particularly diligent advocates of the state of law or of the state of injustice can expect a fashionable surprise.
Those who let themselves be summoned to the jury 100 times in ArcheAge and judge the fate of alleged criminals can look forward to a fashionable judge outfit. This was recently revealed by a post on reddit. Someone reached the 100 mark and was surprised by what was in the mailbox. The 5-piece set consists of a stylish, surprisingly short-cut skirt, gloves, shoes, and a shirt. However, the skirt is intended only for the ladies or female characters of this world. Men who were looking forward to Bermuda shorts have to settle for regular pants.
Judge is a sought-after job in ArcheAge
The set carries neither titles nor any bonuses. The thread creator says he received most of his summons at the beginning – when only a few players qualified for the judge job. Today, it amounts to only one or two sessions a day. You become a judge in ArcheAge when you have progressed further in level and completed a small quest line. Then you have to stay logged in as long as possible to move up in the queue for the jury position. Unlike the duty of jurors in the real world, the job in ArcheAge is quite sought after.
Justice System in ArcheAge somewhere between comedy and racism
The justice system in ArcheAge is a unique aspect of the game and regularly contributes to the entertainment of the entire server. Court proceedings are broadcast like a show in the server-wide trial chat. Some defendants provide a bit of entertainment value, for example when a looting uprooter claims he only did it to feed his 36-member cat family and his wife is pregnant again. Less amusing, but often heard, is the somewhat childish excuse in murder cases: “But he started it!”
However, it should not be overlooked that in the justice channel, one is often confronted with some not-so-nice aspects of online life. It is considered impolite on some servers to write anything other than “English,” which can be explained rather brusquely to the defendant. French players have a particularly hard time in court. According to reports, Brazilians have a similar situation on the US servers.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The creator of Star Citizen, Chris Roberts, introduced the first-person shooter module of the space simulation during PAX Australia. It has been known that players of Star Citizen can not only compete with their ships. However, the gameplay video of the FPS module shows that Star Citizen does not need to hide as a shooter.
Diverse game modes with destructible environments
Weightless, you float around a space station and shoot enemies in a shooter-like manner. The next module for Star Citizen is substantial because, for the first time, you will not be sitting in a spaceship, but instead face the challenges of a first-person shooter with a weapon.
In addition to the classic team deathmatch, game modes such as Seek and Destroy and Capture and Hold will also be implemented. The environment is partially destructible, which provides for an even more realistic atmosphere. However, the difficulty of the FPS module likely lies in the weightlessness, as seen in the gameplay video. Thus, not only do you have to aim with the laser weapon, but also maneuver through the space station using a jetpack.
Recommended editorial content
At this point you will find external content that complements the article.
I consent to external content being displayed to me. Personal data can be transmitted to third party platforms.
Read more about our privacy policy.
The release for the FPS module is already scheduled for spring next year. With 60 million USD, Star Citizen is one of the most successful crowdfunding campaigns ever. In 2015, an alpha version with the first chapter of Squadron 42 and a multiplayer version is also expected to be released. We are curious whether Chris Roberts and his team will stick to this ambitious plan, making a release of a finished Star Citizen possible as early as spring 2016.
In the MMO shooter “Tom Clancy’s The Division“, something is happening. The release date is expected to be announced soon.
As reported by the gaming site dualshockers.com , there has been movement in the MMO shooter “Tom Clancy’s The Division”, which has frequently been compared to Destiny in recent weeks. According to Ubisoft’s Japanese Marketing Manager, Yoshitaka Tsuji, he spoke about The Division during a livestream for Ubiday. Tsuji mentioned that no exact release date for “The Division” has been announced yet, but it should not take “too long” before the release date is revealed.
The Division is set to release on Playstation 4, Xbox One, and PC. It attempts to strike a balance between a shooter and an MMO, similar to Destiny. One of the dominant themes surrounding the game is the debate over whether it will be “downgraded” to look the same on PC as on consoles. This discussion has been sparked by Ubisoft’s game Watchdogs. However, unlike Watchdogs, “The Division” will not be released on last-gen consoles, thus significantly reducing the risk.
Recommended editorial content
At this point you will find external content that complements the article.
I consent to external content being displayed to me. Personal data can be transmitted to third party platforms.
Read more about our privacy policy.
In the fantasy MMO Lord of the Rings Online, update 15 is coming in just a few days. The Beorning class is being introduced into the game. It will have only 51 instead of 53 Trait points. The allocation of the remaining two points is still under consideration by Turbine. They want to be able to respond flexibly to the wishes of the fans.
In class design, they remain true to the source material
The US magazine massively had the opportunity to chat with the developers of the free-to-play MMO ahead of the fifteenth expansion of Lord of the Rings Online. The discussion primarily focused on the new class and race of Beornings. In contrast to other MMOs, it is particularly challenging and significant to introduce a new class in Lord of the Rings Online due to their strong reliance on the source material. They had to wait for the green light from Middle-earth Enterprises before starting development.
Fortunately, there is some additional information in the Lord of the Rings that the shapeshifter Beorn shares with the hobbit Bilbo. He discusses his ancestors, among other things.
For the Beorning, they are listening to feedback from the player community
At the moment, the Beorning feels a bit unfinished, as they consume their class resource “Wrath” too quickly, as noted by the reporter from massively. However, Turbine has already worked on this and mitigated the issue in a new build. Additional skills and legendary items will allow the Beorning to fight longer in bear form.
At Turbine, they want to wait and observe the development of the Beorning. He starts with only 51 points instead of 53 Trait points like other classes. The additional two points are intended to come into play later. They are waiting to see what the community demands.
When asked about the inability to maintain a quarterly rhythm for updates in 2014, producing only three, Aaron Campbell, the producer of Lord of the Rings Online, responded that they are still very pleased with the regular updates – and promised bigger things for 2015.
http://youtu.be/Se3dvZywAAI
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In the fantasy MMO Guild Wars 2, the developers have now mingled with the players and participated in the intense battles in WvWvW. This has apparently impressed them.
Adopt-a-Dev Program at Guild Wars 2 a Great Success
A few weeks ago, we reported on the “Adopt-a-Dev” initiative from Guild Wars 2. Here, active guilds were asked in the forum whether they would be interested in hosting a developer for a limited time. This was meant to give developers insights into the action in World-versus-World at a high level, the huge PvP mode in GW2.
It is now said that they had expected interest from guilds, maybe a few dozen inquiries. However, the expectations were far exceeded. When over 150 guilds signed up, they stopped counting. They didn’t anticipate such a response. They then recruited additional developers for the program so that they could see in their free time how players really play.
Developers Impressed by WvW Action in GW 2
In a video, the individual developers are now sharing what they experienced with their adoptive guilds. Most of them speak visibly impressed about the intense battles in Guild Wars 2. It’s about how a single commander was able to turn the tide of battle, how important the game still is to the players, and how exciting the action can be out there every day.
One dev was thrilled about how professionally a group of 40 took out the zerg (a massive, usually uncoordinated group): “First, they decapitated the zerg and devoured it.” The developers are also impressed by the military discipline that players exhibit in GW 2 to be successful.
All in all, the consensus is that it was an extraordinarily positive experience for the developers of Guild Wars 2. Their management is often accused by the vocal community on reddit or in the official forums of having lost touch with the community. Such a “reality check” might help in the future. The father of the idea, John Corpening, is convinced of the success of the initiative and wants to organize something similar again soon. It is important to him to build a bridge to the community.
Recommended editorial content
At this point you will find external content from YouTube that complements the article.
I consent to external content being displayed to me. Personal data can be transmitted to third party platforms.
Read more about our privacy policy.
In the sandpark MMO ArcheAge, the possibilities for housing are virtually endless. With the arrival of Auroria, this will only increase. However, even now, a guild has already established its own village.
That is precisely what the guild “Dark Jester” on the US server Naima has already achieved. The guild has created its private utopia on the southern coast of the “Solis Headlands” zone. According to their statements in the official forum, the entire construction area belongs to the guild and not to individual players: Everything is “common property” and serves the well-being of the community.
They have established farm stations, dedicated individual houses to specific crafts, and planned the entire village like a blueprint to maximize the use of the coveted building space. The guild has posted some impressive pictures, showcasing what is possible through coordination and collaboration. This could serve as a preview and inspiration for what is possible with castle villages in the coming days.
With Auroria, the cards are reshuffled in ArcheAge
With the opening of Auroria in a few days, such strategic gatherings of houses will surely increase. At the moment, it looks rather chaotic in the building areas. Since players initially did not cooperate with their neighbors, but rather tried to place their buildings in such a way that they occupy as much space as possible. The intention behind this: Players wanted to create dead spots into which no one else can build to reserve space for future expansions.
The current scarcity of building space on at least the large servers is still a topic. With the opening of Auroria and four new building areas, the situation should gradually improve. This will surely be supported by the fact that players who are no longer actively playing or whose patron status expires will lose their properties after a period of several weeks.
Those who want to build in Auroria do not have to be in a guild. It is also possible for solo players to secure a property. However, this is only possible once a guild claims and clears an area.
Just a few days ago, Blizzard secured the name “Eye of Azshara,” and speculations are, of course, running high across the vastness of the internet.
Especially with the previous teaser images for Hearthstone that Blizzard has sent out in the past few days, colorful fantasies can now be spun – there were some blueprints of typical gnome and goblin inventions visible. Azshara is a region in World of Warcraft, and the center (so to speak, the “eye”) is the Goblin city “Bilgewater Harbor.” This thematically fits wonderfully with an expansion of the card game that deals with goblins and their machines.
Another theory is that the name may already refer to the next expansion of “World of Warcraft.” Because Azshara is, besides being a landscape, also the legendary queen of the Highborne, who was transformed into a Naga thousands of years ago – by the way, she is also one of the most powerful sorceresses of all time, whose appearance captivates every person so much that they would immediately leap to their death for her. This lovely lady also offers wonderful potential for the next WoW expansion, as the Naga storyline was temporarily abandoned in “Cataclysm.”
Last but not least, it could of course also be a mix, so an expansion for Hearthstone that deals with the Naga – as these are already present in the card game, but are significantly underrepresented.
A final answer will probably only be received at BlizzCon this coming weekend – we will keep you updated!
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Blizzard’s free card game Hearthstone the second expansion is focused on plans. Could Goblin developers be behind it?
No one really knows yet if it’s a pun or if there’s more to it. In the past days, “invitations” reached various editorial teams that deal with Hearthstone. On one side of the invitation was a blue schematic of a Goblin construction: Polygon received a Harvest Golem, other sites received a Destroyer or other results of Goblin engineering. Some well-known Hearthstone players also received these invitations:
On the back was the sentence “Making Plans for BlizzCon – I hope you like my invitation.” That is a pun: The English word “plans” can refer to these construction schematics as well as “intentions.” “Making plans” also has its own meaning – one prepares something, makes plans, has already scheduled the time, has made preparations. It’s somewhat similar to a pun where you send someone a postcard with a printed basket and write, “I’ll give you a basket – I can’t go to the movies on Thursday.”
So it may be that the Goblin constructions have nothing to do at all with what is to be announced and that they were just looking for a clever way to draw attention to BlizzCon, and that Hearthstone will also be part of it.
That Hearthstone’s next expansion would be announced at BlizzCon is actually quite clear. At least that has been indirectly said multiple times.
Whether a “Goblin Engineering” expansion with over 100 cards is actually coming seems rather questionable. There are already some constructs in the game and there isn’t really that much material available. Speculations about the next expansion rather leaned towards taking a WoW expansion with over 100 cards – without raid instances. Such as the protagonists and mobs from “The Burning Crusade.” Raid instances – like Naxxramas – are more suitable for adventures like the Naxxramas of Hearthstone. Blizzard had mentioned possibly alternating between adventures and expansions.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In the MMO shooter Destiny, Bungie reveals more details about the first DLC “Darkness Looms”, “The Dark Below”. It suggests that the current exotic items are to remain valuable. Is an upgrade in discussion?
On the night from Friday to Saturday, there was another “Weekly Update”. Here, Community Manager DeeJ speaks to the fans about current topics. The most important information was – as so often – a hint. This also aligns with some clues that data miners have already found. Thus, the current exotic items could receive an upgrade with the DLC. Guardians in Destiny will, of course, have to earn them.
Exotic Items in Destiny – the spice of life
The exotic items in Destiny are, according to Bungie, a kind of “collector’s item” that a Guardian likes to have in their arsenal because they are best suited for certain tasks. With the next DLC, “The Dark Below”, the level cap increases from 30 to 32. The level in Destiny is determined by the light value of the four armor pieces that one wears.
18 armor pieces are currently available – 9 new ones are expected; how to balance this?
This would mean that the 18 current exotic armors are no longer valuable – they wouldn’t cut it anymore. Some fans have already reflected on this. Community Manager DeeJ now says that they promised that the exotic items would be “valuable possessions”. Fans can expect to get information soon about how this will be ensured in the future.
It therefore seems likely that exotic armors will be upgradeable with the next expansion, allowing even “old” pieces to achieve the new maximum light value. Otherwise, shortly after release, the items would become outdated and “content” would be removed from the game. They surely do not want that.
According to the data miners, 9 new exotic armors are coming into play. It will be interesting to see how they are balanced against the current items. Because even if they want to keep the old items competitive, it seems reasonable to make the new items strong enough to ensure that Guardians will want them and stick around.
What about the weapons?
When it comes to the exotic weapons in Destiny, the situation seems a bit more complicated. They don’t have a light value. However, it is the case that with the expansion, new “legendary weapons” will also be introduced into the game. Surely Bungie wants to design these in a way that makes them “better” than the current ones.
Therefore, it could be beneficial to provide a means to bring the exotic weapons up to the “latest standard” and enhance them a bit. Whether they will remain slightly beneath the “new” exotic weapons to create an incentive to pursue them is still unclear. Currently, it is assumed that six new exotic weapons will be introduced with “The Dark Below”.
In the MMO shooter Destiny , the developers at Bungie show their cards and even admit mistakes. The loot caves, camp spots, were unforeseen. They were due to bugs in the first loot system.
In an interview with the US site mmorpg.com, Community Manager Erik “Urk” Osborne opens up. He is mainly asked about the loot caves. There has been a sort of tussle between players and developers over them, as Bungie has closed them multiple times, prompting players to discover new ones.
Players act unpredictably – even in Destiny
Osborne describes the loot caves as a form of “emergent behavior”, a form of player behavior that arises from the ongoing events in Destiny and which cannot possibly be predicted. No matter how much effort one puts in and what predictions one makes, ultimately, player behavior is simply unpredictable. And after the release, Bungie then sat down and just watched the players. Players act like a kind of dowsing rod, bringing the developers to where the attention must be.
The camp spots, the treasure caves, were entertaining, and they even took themselves lightly. But the most important thing was that they learned from these loot caves what worked and what didn’t in terms of how loot was distributed.
Spaceship battle? Sparrow racing? Why not?
Later in the conversation, the interviewer tries to coax future insights out of Osborne, but he does not reveal much. Ideas like “ship combat” between the players’ jump ships or a sparrow race are things that they think about and have discussed in the office. Both are fun ideas, but he cannot say more about it.
In the upcoming expansions, they want to highlight an alien race each time. For “The Dark Below”, the Hive will be the focus.Additionally, they plan to bring more of everything, so there will soon be further opportunities to improve the Guardian; they also have some ideas for the Crucible and the mobile app.
More about the MMO shooter Destiny can be found on our topic page.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In the sandbox MMO ArcheAge, the endgame truly begins on Tuesday. Then the northern continent of Auroria will open. But what is this all about?
On Tuesday, November 4th, the northern continent of Auroria will open in ArcheAge. Its opening was delayed until Trion Worlds was sure there were enough guilds ready to compete for it, so that early starters could not get too far ahead. Beforehand, some guides based on beta experiences had already appeared, describing what is actually happening there. Now Trion Worlds themselves presented in an update to the fans what they can expect there.
Become Your Own Lord
Four new zones have been unlocked. These are Marzala, Ruheland, Heedmar, and Nuimari. The interesting news that Auroria brings is certainly the possibility for extremely successful guilds to claim one of the areas for themselves. This is considered an important part of the endgame in ArcheAge.
To do this, an “Archeum Magnet” must be cleansed, and only the leader of a guild can do that. For this, they need the “cleansing Archeum Package.” To craft this, Anya Ingots and Blood Archeum Crystals are required. The Blood Archeum Crystals can be purchased from the merchant for 40 gold each – so that’s not an issue. The Anya Ingots are obtained from Anya Pebbles, which are only found on the island of Auroria.
Trion Worlds states that you need an experienced metalworker and an experienced miner to gather these pebbles. No exact numbers are mentioned.
Quickly back to speculation:
Speculation about the exact numbers comes from a guide
In a guide that appeared on archeagedaily and is based on beta experiences, the author mentioned needing 50,000 mining to first mine the pebbles. Furthermore, they spoke of needing 20,000 in metalwork to smelt the pebbles into ingots. Allegedly, you need 50 Archeum Crystals for the package, which would cost 2,000 gold.
For 100 Anya Ingots (which are also needed), you require 300 Anya Pebbles. From an Anya vein, a player gets 1-4 of these pebbles. Per vein, they need 50 labor points. According to the guide (this was loudly questioned), these veins can only be found in caves, which are in turn protected by a wall. Allegedly, players need 3,000 labor points to first break down the wall and obtain mining rights for the veins behind it. Behind it are about 10 veins, which only respawn when you leave the cave and break down the wall. As mentioned: This information is provided without guarantee.
The cleansing Archeum Package must then also be transported from the mainland to the magnet with effort … and lazy guilds will probably think it’s a great idea to go on a looting spree.
Back to the official:
What do you gain from a castle?
The special thing about a castle is that the guild can decide who can build in the direct vicinity of the castle and who cannot. If they dislike a house there, they can destroy it. Other houses in the area cannot be destroyed by the ruling guild but can be taxed.
The new building areas on Auroria have two climate zones and are therefore more attractive; additionally, only special resources can be grown here.
Guild Wars in ArcheAge
Now, of course, it would be silly if the first four guilds on a server grabbed the castles and then nothing ever happened in the endgame of ArcheAge again. Therefore, there is a way to attack these castles and also to lose them.
For this, the developers came up with something clever, as it is strictly organized and a massive gold sink (a drain for gold from the game). At regular intervals, a license to attack a very specific castle appears in the auction house. Bidding occurs on it – these are enormous sums. (According to the guide, these licenses appear every three weeks and start at 500 gold; an auction lasts 24 hours)
The guild that secures the right to attack can then fight in a strictly regulated guild battle against the “established” guild for the right to the castle. Both guilds have the opportunity to prepare for this battle. The attackers must, in a kind of “Capture-the-Flag XXL”, attack the stone and focus on it uninterrupted for 5 minutes, while the defenders try to prevent them. Each of the two parties can, according to the guide (the numbers are unofficial again), send only 100 people.
As can be seen from the sums and numbers, the guild part of Auroria is not for lone wolves. The dominant guilds have surely already made detailed plans on how to quickly gather the ore together. Off the cuff, it won’t work; just to reach 50,000 mining requires several days of preparation. For solo players, there remains the hope that the rush for Auroria will free up land in the home areas. However, players without a large guild must wait until one of the areas in the new sandbox deluxe of ArcheAge has been cleaned.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In the survival MMO H1Z1, the developers also aim to engage players’ sense of hearing to immerse them in the atmospheric world of zombies and the post-apocalypse.
In this week’s dev blog, Gregg Spence introduces his work; he is the Technical Architect at SOE and is working on the sound effects and soundtrack of H1Z1. According to Spence, it is a job that goes unnoticed when done well, but it greatly disrupts immersion when it is not.
Players primarily envision atmospheric movement sounds, the sound of firearms, or background noises from nature as sound effects. Achieving this correctly requires a lot of work hours.
Inside sounds muffled compared to outside
As the first example of these subtleties that players pay attention to not only in H1Z1, Spence shows a video of firearms. They sound different depending on the environment. It is important that players can tell from the sound whether a weapon was fired indoors or outdoors. Even when a shot is fired inside a building, there should be a distinction made whether it is happening in a barn, a church, or a small room. http://youtu.be/NqQCPUdZX4o These subtleties also have practical benefits for the player: The proximity and direction of sounds reflect the “real” states. An attentive player can deduce from the sounds where the opponent is standing, how far away they are, and similar details.
Birdsong during the day, wolf howling at night: Ambience sounds adapt to the time of day
Another important focus is the “ambience sounds”: what is happening acoustically in the background. They have now graced the 24-hour day with four different soundtracks. During the day, one should hear birds, and at night maybe the chirping of crickets or occasionally the howling of a wolf.
Even when the weather changes, such as starting to rain or snow, players should be able to not only see but also hear it. http://youtu.be/ZcvQrJRfmLE
The music in H1Z1 – like in a horror movie
And what would a true horror experience be without atmospheric music that makes you want to scream “Don’t go in there, you fool!” Here, Spence gives an example of a music track that plays as a player approaches a dilapidated town. The music clearly conveys: You are approaching something interesting, you are nearing a climax, but that could also be your doom. http://youtu.be/yXSDo8cztO4
In H1Z1, it is the case that the more lucrative a location is, the more dangerous it is as well. While excellent items can spawn in a police station (see title image), this also attracts zombies and other players who are out looting. Thus, it becomes incredibly difficult to stay true to H1Z1’s motto “One Step Ahead of Zed”.
Recommended editorial content
At this point you will find external content from YouTube that complements the article.
I consent to external content being displayed to me. Personal data can be transmitted to third party platforms.
Read more about our privacy policy.
