The sand park MMO ArcheAge has received a lot of criticism in recent weeks, but it also has some plus points to offer, such as unprecedented possibilities in crafting, the importance of community and guilds, and a touch of madness.
ArcheAge has taken a lot of criticism in recent weeks since the release. Most of it referred to issues surrounding the game: long wait times, hacks, cheats, bots, problems with customer support. And of course, the game also has some design issues.
However, the reporting has focused solely on the negative aspects (which is completely justified), overshadowing what ArcheAge truly brings that’s new and interesting to the western MMO climate, which is drained from WoW clones and soulless Free2Play cash machines.
Reason 1: Community is important
We have already reported that the German guild Impact, together with their alliance partners from Midgard, built the Black Pearl, a large guild project that required the members to collaborate. This serves as a symbol that the community is significant in ArcheAge, providing players with opportunities to express themselves and achieve something as a team. With the launch of Auroria in a few weeks, this will become even more prominent, and PvP will come into focus.
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While the community in ArcheAge often appears hostile externally, as different groups on a server compete with each other, leading to situations where etiquette is rarely observed in a mining cave, there exists a completely different atmosphere internally within the communities, and many derive their enjoyment of ArcheAge from the sense of being part of something larger.
Reason 2: Trade, housing, and crafting are mysterious and deep
A noteworthy aspect of ArcheAge that has unfortunately lost much of its appeal and shine amid the turmoil with hacks and cheaters is the crafting, trading, and housing system in the game. It is truly deep.
It is a science in itself, and players who wish to dive fully into it can spend weeks and months on it. There are only relatively few opportunities to learn about how the individual professions work outside the game. This is also by design, as the “successful” players like to keep their secrets to themselves, just as master craftsmen once protected their tricks and mysteries. Getting to uncover these secrets in ArcheAge can indeed be exciting and satisfying.
Of course, it would be much better if there weren’t so many external influences in this area.
The mechanics, the core ideas of what can be done with crafting, such as learning other languages, composing songs, starting your own livestock, obtaining a monopoly on sheep wool, or anything else in ArcheAge, are present and must be acknowledged. It is one of the first games in a long time where crafting, trading, and housing are not isolated mini-games that run parallel to the “real” game, but are deeply rooted in the DNA of ArcheAge.
Reason 3: Madness reigns
As a third reason: ArcheAge is truly different. There are opportunities to stamp your own seal, upload images from your computer and integrate them into the world, wear masks, put a box on your head, and express your personal style.
For example, the Joker is currently pleased that he has a Thunderstruck Tree in front of his house, a particularly valuable material that is created when a tree is struck by lightning:
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The fantasy MMO The Lord of the Rings Online is finally getting a new class with Update 15 after a long time. The Beornings are the stars in a series of videos from the test server Bullroar.
Beornings – this is the name of the new shapeshifting class in The Lord of the Rings Online. Update 15 has recently been released on the test server and is attracting the attention of players and YouTubers alike. As there is no NDA or similar restrictions, discussions are freely being made about what players can expect shortly on the live servers.
And of course, the Beornings are the stars of this video: Character creation, how the class plays, and what the new starting area looks like – these are the topics of the videos that we will present to you next.
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In the MMO shooter Destiny, a hotfix is being applied today that aims to change the balance of weapons. Additionally, the new loot caves at the Rocketyard will be closed.
A hotfix is announced for today that is intended to correct the imbalance between weapons in the MMO shooter Destiny. The basics of the hotfix have been known for a while. Bungie has already stated that they see automatic rifles as too strong and scout rifles as too weak. Now they reveal how they intend to solve these problems.
Automatic rifles lose 6% of their base damage and now deal 125% instead of 150% damage on precision shots. Additionally, stability is reduced by 4-17%.
For Hand Cannons, Bungie increases accuracy for “In-Air” shots.
Scout rifles receive 6% more base damage, and damage against “Combatants” increases by 6-25% depending on tier. Additionally, recoil is reduced.
Shotguns are no longer so effective at long range. Bungie decreases the damage at max range by 20%. Furthermore, adjustments are made to some perks.
The Vex Mythoclast, which only drops from Atheon in Hard Mode and caused a stir during short excursions in the Crucible, now deals 34% less base damage. However, the damage bonus for precision hits, such as headshots, is increased from 1.25 to 1.5.
Destiny closes the new loot caves
Additionally, the hotfix will likely close the loot caves at the Rocketyard. New ones have been discovered almost weekly recently, so this may be the end of that. As Bungie reports, the Fallen have retreated to devise a new plan. A similar announcement previously closed the first round of loot caves with a hotfix a few weeks ago. Furthermore, the patch fixes a strategy that likely made the Templar in the raid “The Vault of Glass” too easy.
You can find the full changes in the hotfix notes on bungie.net, currently they are only available in English; we will update the post when the German patch notes are available.
Upcoming videos will trigger nostalgia. Here is the Vex Mythoclast in action: https://youtu.be/lQeIlojbuz0
And this here was the first known loot cave at the Rocketyard, which was called Loot Cave 2.0; several other spots followed like the Red Loot Box Spot, the Loot Stairs, and recently even a crane:
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In the fantasy MMO The Elder Scrolls Online, the patch notes for update 5 are available. The version 1.50 is even playable on the test server now.
During ESO Live, that we summarized for you, not too much was promised. The update 5 is indeed massive. The patch notes span several pages and may even surprise hardcore TESO fans. By now, every fan should have noticed the major changes with the scaling instances, the veteran version of the City of Ash, the new crafting style “Dwemer”, animated NPC faces, speech bubbles, and daily quests (okay, even the highlights are getting a bit out of hand).
However, the patch notes hide some smaller gems, for example, horses can now jump from a standstill. And the werewolf changes are extensive as well. Zenimax hopes for diligent collaboration from players to fine-tune things. Especially with the facial animations, some difficulties are still expected.
What do you think of the patch? Is everything in there that you wanted?
Tomorrow or the day after, the new SMITE patch will be deployed to the live servers, and the changes seem to be final by now, which is why we would like to summarize the most important innovations of the “There and Baka again” patch for you.
Bakasura – new model, even more hunger
The popular assassin “Bakasura” receives a completely new look as his old model no longer meets the quality standards of the newer gods. Instead of simply upgrading the old concept graphically, he gets a completely new form. This makes him appear somewhat “more human” than before – at least until hunger overcomes him.
In contrast to the old version, Bakasura now has two mouths, one on his face and one that stretches across his entire chest, used when he devours minions or regurgitates them with his ultimate ability. His old premium skins “Feaster Bunny” and “Death Machine” remain unaffected by the changes.
The nerf bat swings for Apollo, Freya, Rama, and Sylvanus
This time, four gods are particularly hard hit: Apollo loses the entire magical protection of his ability “Serenade”, and in addition, “The Moves” now knocks back enemy gods significantly less, making them able to act faster again.
Sylvanus experiences his first nerf.
The Nordic goddess Freya has to deal with cuts to her ultimate ability, which now possesses a range reduced by 10 feet, and the target radius is also minimized by 3 feet. The Hindu god Rama is also slightly trimmed: the base damage of his ultimate is reduced by 50% and scales only with 60% of physical power, no longer with 80%.
Finally, the latest god Sylvanus is also weakened, as he is currently considered the “egg-laying wool mill pig” of SMITE. “Verdant Growth” now roots enemies for only 1.25 seconds (instead of 2), “Wisps,” on the other hand, heal 20 points less at the highest level, and the cooldown of the same ability is no longer reduced by increasing the ability range.
New Halloween-themed skins and voice packs
In line with Halloween, there are some new skins for existing deities, with Zhong Kui receiving the long-desired “Demon Catcher” skin, which resembles “Ghostbusters” more than just a bit. Osiris, on the other hand, receives two spooky skins, one being the “Re-Animated Osiris” and the other the “Frankenhotep Osiris”. The three skins can exclusively be found in the new Halloween chest, which can be purchased with the patch for 400 gems.
Of course, all new skins also come with matching voice packs, but the previously existing “Stargazer Anubis” finally gets his own voice – and it really sounds damn good.
Finally, there are several bug fixes and a handful of new player icons, which are mostly also available through the new chest. You can see the complete list of all changes in English here.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The launch trailer for the pre-sequel of Borderlands can’t resist throwing a small jab at the MMO shooter Destiny.
Borderlands is part of the DNA of the MMO shooter Destiny. It was the game that invented the “Loot’n Shoot” genre, in which Destiny is currently thriving. Moreover, the comparisons are numerous: both are shooters, both are set in the science fiction genre, and both have built a loyal fan base. Thus, it is rare to talk about Destiny without mentioning Borderlands. And at Gearbox, it seems they are quite attentively following the commotion around the major competitor with a wry smile.
Tomorrow, the pre-sequel to Borderlands is released, and Gearbox is celebrating this with a launch trailer. In it, they can’t resist a little jab against Destiny. They reference the infamous “That wizard came from the moon” line, which has provoked much derision over the past months. But see for yourself.
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In a few hours, a fasting period begins for players on the Playstation 3 and the Playstation 4 in the MMO shooter Destiny, unless they log in by 7 PM. The Playstation Network (PSN) will be taken offline for maintenance.
From 7 PM until 2 AM our time tonight, scheduled maintenance will take down the PSN. All online games on Playstation will be affected – including the current MMO hit Destiny. So, only offline activities can be done on the console.
There’s a small glimmer of hope: According to the official site, it might be “possibly possible” to continue online gaming if players log in through their SEN account before the maintenance starts.
Players on the Playstation 3 or the Playstation 4 may experience a bit of stress tonight. However, players on the Xbox One or the Xbox 360 might have a completely normal evening – and for 3.2 million people worldwide, this normal evening includes Destiny, as we know. So don’t let the E8200013A error ruin your day.
Reminder! RT @AskPlayStation: Routine PSN maintenance Monday 10/13, 10am-5pm Pacific time. Log in prior to retain online play/app access.
Update 10/16: Since 8:30 PM, signs have been increasing that the PSN is currently down and having issues. Bungie tweets that they are aware of the problem and are looking into it. We will keep you updated.
We’re aware of and investigating issues preventing some of our players from signing in on PS3 and PS4.
The transfer to the mega-servers for the SF-MMO WildStar is scheduled for Wednesday. It will last a maximum of 24 hours, during which the MMO will be unreachable. Players will receive a free day credited and 30 Boom Boxes allocated.
On Wednesday, October 15, at 2 PM, it will take place. Then the transfer of the mega-servers will begin. When will the WildStar servers be online again? Probably after around 24 hours, but if everything goes optimally, players can re-enter the planet Nexus after only 12 hours of abstinence. The mega-servers are intended to make the world of Nexus livelier and to make it easier for players to organize raids, PvP, and group content.
As compensation for the loss of playtime, Carbine credits players an additional day of free playtime and releases “Boom Boxes” for an entire month (one per day for 30 days), as stated in a press release.
This was once.
After the transfer, players who were previously on a European PvE or role-playing server will find themselves on Jabbit again, while PvP players will call “Luminai” their new home. The names of the new mega-servers were chosen by players in a survey. German players will also notice that they are in a German chat zone and will occupy a help channel.
The MMO world is waiting, each game for something different. The Elder Scrolls Online for Update 5, H1Z1 for Early Access, World of Warcraft for the AddOn. What’s happening with the eight MMOs that we closely follow at mein MMO and what the prospects look like, you can find out in our State of Play.
In our State of Play column, we have already taken a look at what is happening in WildStar, TESO, and Guild Wars 2 two times. This time we’re doing it a bit differently and giving you a brief overview of what’s going on in the eight games that we closely follow at mein MMO.
The Elder Scrolls Online: Restructuring is progressing
What’s going on? The Elder Scrolls Online is waiting for Update 5. It is supposed to go live on the test server this week. It initiates restructuring at TESO that became necessary after the rocky release and aims to provide the game with more depth and polish the rough edges. Update 5 brings daily quests, new crafting materials, nicer facial animations, and a lot of other improvements.
Outlook: Pretty good. The Elder Scrolls Online has actually found the recipe for how the game should look next year. The current player base seems solid, at least there isn’t the panic surrounding TESO that was initially anticipated and voiced by some. Now it’s about integrating the individual features into the game. In the past, every patch caused chaos on the servers for several weeks. Hopefully, Update 5 is better controlled. The Elder Scrolls Online has recovered quite well from its rough start in the past months. The game is doing better, a vision is recognizable, and with the console port, they have a card up their sleeve.
WildStar: Mega servers and content patch are dated; but aren’t players waiting for Free2Play anyway?
What’s going on? WildStar is waiting for the transition to mega servers. That should happen this week. And then players are waiting for the next bigger content patch in early November, which should breathe new life into the game. However, some say that WildStar is just waiting for Free2Play.
Outlook:Not so good. WildStar has received several setbacks in the last weeks. The explanations of how they are restructuring sound all a bit strange and contradictory. For example, it’s said that they already knew before the launch that they would switch to mega servers. If that’s true, they have misled at least the role players from the very beginning. Let’s see what the mega servers bring. With the WoW release next month, things seem to worsen for WildStar before they can get better.
H1Z1: Nothing new with the zombies
What’s going on? Nothing. They are still waiting for Early Access. It seems to be getting closer, but nobody really knows where the finish line lies and whether it might have been pushed back behind the scenes again. There is no benchmark, no timeline. Occasionally, you might see a stream and notice that the game has significantly grown since the last time. But the consensus about when it will go into Early Access hasn’t changed by a jot in weeks and months. They want to wait until they feel very good about the game. When that will be, only a few people on the planet know, and they aren’t telling us.
Outlook: Right now, it’s very quiet around H1Z1, interest has noticeably faded. This has to and will change with the announcement for Early Access. Currently, there is no date, no roadmap to guide by. Nobody really knows how “finished” the game must be for SOE to put it in Early Access.
Destiny: Events keep players engaged, but for how long?
What’s going on? The events provide short-term fun, but also receive some criticism. Otherwise, the game is riding a pretty wave of success. It benefits from having little competition on consoles until the end of the year. Additionally, the core mechanics of the game, the gunplay, are excellent and attract fans. They still have plenty to do with the base game.
Outlook: The first DLC is set to be released in December. It will be interesting to see how much new content truly comes. The problem with a game like Destiny, which thrives on the loot system, is that players eventually finish and want something new. If the DLC only lasts a few hours before everyone has seen and obtained everything, the game could fall into a rut. At this moment, it’s hard to say. Destiny is still doing great a month after its release. However, the first signs of wear and tear will probably become visible soon, and interest will start to decline. The question is: Will it pick up again with the first DLC in December?
World of Warcraft: “You know me”
What’s going on? This week the Pre-Patch is here, then it will be another month until the next expansion launches. Until then, we will probably be bombarded with announcements and advertisements. The opening of the marketing campaign has already started with a big interview with Polygon, where players were oriented towards a future without Titan, but with a revitalized WoW.
Outlook: It’s hard to say. Everything Blizzard has said lately sounds great for the future of the game, how it will be post Warlords of Draenor. However, feedback from the beta for Warlords of Draenor itself seems to be mixed. WoW surely benefits from the fact that players, after a year, miss the game and crave the old familiarity. After a year without new content, players’ memories of great past experiences grow larger, while more mundane activities fade into the background. Blizzard doesn’t exactly promote the feeling of heralding a new era with Draenor. Why would they? After a year of several disappointments in the MMORPG market, they swear by what has worked before.
ArcheAge: Not much is heard about the game, a lot about the publisher
What’s going on? With ArcheAge, you hear a lot about the publisher’s problems with hacks, bots, and cheats. This affects the actual game. At the beginning, nothing was heard about the crafting system, PvP, or piracy, but about queues and client issues. Even now, Trion Worlds’ difficulties have not settled. With the opening of the northern continent Auroria and the 1.7 patch, a clear time frame has at least been established.
Outlook: Actually quite good. Since ArcheAge is Free2Play and genuinely “different” from the alternatives, it will surely attract a steady influx of curious players looking for something new to counteract saturation and boredom. But: If you have to report more about the publisher than about the actual game, that’s not a good sign. It’s like talking about the referee after a football match.
Guild Wars: A bit in nirvana right now, still no news on an expansion
What’s going on? Little. The September update has come and gone. The continuation of the living world is still pending. They are currently trying to entice players with PvP. Only a few are really biting.
Outlook: Guild Wars 2 has the problem that it wants to be a game for everyone, but does not have the capacity to regularly provide new content for all players. Are PvP fans really excited about the continuation of the Living World? In the background, there’s a lot of noise, maybe they are designing raid content for guilds, maybe there will really be an expansion in 2015? Nothing is finalized. If the Living World continues, there will surely be more to do and marvel at. However, ArenaNet’s strong push to establish a PvP scene and excite players with it remains a curiosity. Is the player base really large enough to allocate so many resources towards it?
Final Fantasy XIV: Model Student
What’s going on? They have been waiting for a few months now for 2.4. New heroes, new instances, and several features will come. Until then, they’ve been passing the time with some trial programs.
Outlook: Good, very good indeed. Final Fantasy has a healthy foundation and knows how it will progress in the future. FF XIV has the advantage over most other games in that there are no “current issues” (except for space shortages), but everything runs smoothly enough to build on. As with any MMO, the pauses between milestones may seem a bit lengthy.
Calm before the storm
You might think that the MMO world is experiencing a kind of “calm before the storm”, except for the MMOs that just started in September, Destiny and ArcheAge. Already this week, new life will be breathed into WildStar and World of Warcraft. In the next month, probably in Guild Wars 2, Final Fantasy XIV, and The Elder Scrolls Online. The biggest event of the next few months, until the end of the year, is surely the Warlords of Draenor release in mid-November. The waves that it creates in the MMO pond will surely be felt.
As for H1Z1: Who knows. That could happen “all of a sudden”. But it could have happened like that in the last five months too. We will keep you updated at mein MMO about this and the seven other games and a few more.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
For the MMO shooter Destiny, a PDF file has now surfaced that thoroughly documents the work that went into the hair in Destiny. Meanwhile, players are still missing beards and some researchers as well: They would have liked to examine them in Destiny to draw conclusions about trends in the real world.
One thing is the sum of its parts. We players often find it difficult to take out individual elements from the overall mix. Of course, we pay attention to the main things in a game: Someone designed the mobs, the raids, the weapons, the Cryptarch in Destiny – we unconsciously know this, it all stands out to us. But someone has spent their career in recent years making sure that the hair in Destiny is as well done as it is in the finished game. And the amount of work and brainpower that went into it is impressive.
61 pages, this PDF file, in which technical artist Natalie Burke discusses the exact process of hair design in Destiny. And those who now think, “61 pages, who writes so much about hair?” There are pictures with short captions. They show the journey of the hair from initial sketches through “Bungie’s Hair Salon” to the finished game. For the future, Burke aims to make the hair sway when a Guardian jumps and to add even more design options.
Researchers want to study beards in Destiny
However, the document does not address the most frequently asked demand: Guardians wish for beards in Destiny.
A few weeks ago, there was even an article in Forbes describing that some researchers wished for beards in Destiny. Due to the game’s massive success, one could then examine what kind of beards players create to draw conclusions about culturally different forms and trends.
After the release, the biggest demand from players to the design team was actually to introduce the possibility of giving the Guardian a beard. And how that would happen, some researchers would have liked to investigate.
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On October 19, the time has come: The final of arguably the biggest eSports spectacle will determine the winner of this year’s League of Legends championship. In Seoul, the South Korean team Samsung White will face the Chinese team Star Horn Royal Club.
Finals Dominated by Asian Teams
In the preliminary rounds, a trend emerged that teams from Western nations were unlikely to have a chance at the title this year. Only Cloud 9 and Team Solo Mid from North America made it to the quarterfinals. The European representatives Fnatic and Alliance did not survive the preliminary round. The dominance of the Chinese and South Korean teams was too strong. C9 and TSM were eliminated in the quarterfinals. Their opponents were the teams Samsung Blue and Samsung White.
China and South Korea
In the first semifinal, the sister teams of Samsung faced each other. Here, the team Samsung White won decisively with a score of 3-0. In the second semifinal, the Chinese team Star Horn Royal Club played against the also Chinese team OMG. Royal Club triumphed after 5 games with a score of 3-2. Thus, on October 19, the best teams from China will face the best team from South Korea. We look forward to seeing who will take home the coveted Summoners Cup.
eSport in the Football Stadium
The final rounds will take place in a football stadium from the 2002 World Cup. The Seoul World Cup Stadium has a capacity of around 66,000 spectators. For the final on Sunday, there will be a slightly smaller audience, nonetheless, one can see the dimension that has developed here. This championship is one of the largest eSports events ever and will likely only be surpassed next year by the LCS 2015. We are excited about the final, which will be broadcast live on Twitch on October 19 from 8 AM German time.
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With the upcoming release of the major patch 6.0, Blizzard has released a new World of Warcraft comic that tells the backstory of one of the great Orc clans during one of their darkest hours.
The Blackrock clan is being besieged by ogres and even the highly intelligent war strategist Blackhand sees no way to victory – which prompts him to undertakings of reckless actions.
The story revolves around nothing less than the Doomhammer, an artifact that has already caused quite a stir among the Orcs, having long been the weapon of the war chief Thrall. Before that, it belonged to Orgrim Doomhammer, after whom the capital of the Horde – Orgrimmar – is named.
What exactly this weapon has to do with the Blackrock clan and Blackhand, and what sacrifices must be made for such power, you can best see for yourself in the latest comic – which is free again and can already be downloaded in German here: To the official World of Warcraft developer blog on battle.net.
As “Warlords of Draenor” somewhat disrupts the timeline, there are now two Doomhammers – it remains to be seen whether their two owners will meet. Woe to anyone who stands in between.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
We are excited to present a series of giveaways in collaboration with Hi-Rez Studios, where you can win codes to unlock certain gods in SMITE!
Have no idea what SMITE is all about? No problem, just check out the review of SMITE here, grab two or three friends, and try out the free MOBA from a third-person perspective.
To sweeten the deal for you, we are giving away 5 codes that allow you to unlock the god “Zeus” without having to spend any favor or gems! If you already have this god in your collection, that’s no obstacle; you can simply give the code to a friend – the perfect starter gift for newcomers to the battleground of the gods!
A few background details (because I’m into lore – whether in role-playing games or “real” myths) about the father of the gods: Zeus is part of the Greek pantheon and is the son of the titan Cronus. Since Cronus devoured all his children out of fear they might one day overthrow him, Zeus was hidden after his birth until he was old enough to defeat his father, which he promptly did, freeing his brothers Hades and Poseidon from Cronus’s belly. The titans were banished, and the world was divided into three dominions: Hades received the underworld, Poseidon the sea, and Zeus the sky. From there, he rules over all other gods, and whenever a storm brews, it’s a sign that Zeus is very angry…
While the father of the gods has high expectations of everyone around him, he is not so strict with himself; he has cheated on his own wife over 20 times and fathered countless children – but whose wrath should the father of the gods fear?
In SMITE, Zeus is a mage and all his attacks are based on lightning. Many play him as a “troll character” since most of his abilities place debuffs on enemies that he can explode with the push of a button – and he can do this even if the enemy is already out of range. It’s not uncommon to feel safe only to be sent back to the respawn point by a final thunderclap.
If you want to win a code for the father of the gods Zeus and his alternative skin “Thunderhead”, all you have to do is post in the comments under this article what you would do if you could be Zeus for a day! The five funniest ideas will each win a code. The deadline is 15.10.2014 at 21:00. Good luck!
The winners and their nicknames will be announced in this post. If you comment as a guest, please ensure you provide the correct email address (which will not be displayed publicly). Also, please read the terms of participation under the video.
Update, 15.10.2014: The winners are now set. Congratulations to Tamu, Verennia, meggoo, Tialys, and Capscreen for winning a Zeus (we will contact you Thursday evening). Thanks to all other participants – maybe it will work out next time! More giveaways will follow. Thank goodness!
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[doptoggle title=”Important: Terms of participation for the giveaway:”]
Participation in the giveaway is free, starts on 12.10.2014 at 12 PM, and ends on 15.10.2014 at 21 PM. By participating in the giveaway, you accept the rules of this draw (see above). You must be at least 16 years old.
Mein MMO reserves the right to exclude participants who violate the rules of the game, manipulate the giveaway, or attempt to do so. Only one participation per person is allowed (Yes, we recognize that!). Mein MMO will contact the winners by email within one day. The data will not be stored but used solely for the delivery of the prize. If the winner does not respond within 5 working days, the Zeus code will be re-raffled to another participant. Legal recourse is excluded.[/doptoggle]
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Why can guardians not stop playing Destiny? In an article a few years ago, the current head of the research department at Bungie describes methods to engage players into the game and provides examples from laboratory experiments with rats and chimpanzees.
In 2001, an article by John Hopson was published on Gamasutra, a site mainly aimed at developers, discussing what goes on in players’ minds regarding rewards and the absence of rewards. Today, Hopson is the “Head of user research at Bungie Studios” and is probably the person who knows exactly how users tick in Destiny and how to keep them engaged with the game. The article is particularly special as it offers an open view into the thought processes on the “other” side of the screen.
The article demonstrates how much research and effort are put into ensuring that players cannot stop playing the game – and what science is utilized for this. And as recent numbers show, it seems that Destiny has perfected this formula. A common phrase in the reviews is: Destiny has problems, but still, people play it every day. The foundation for this might perhaps be found in the article from over ten years ago.
Our food pellets.
The article is based on a form of behavioral psychology that was developed primarily on animals such as rats, chimpanzees, and pigeons. It emerged when the experimenter ran out of food pellets and decided to reward the rats only every tenth time they pressed the switch to save the trip to the city. This resulted in some interesting outcomes. Sound familiar?
Here are some more excerpts from the article: In an experiment, there were two pigeons in a cage, one was tied up while the other could move freely. Every 30 seconds, food was dropped into the cage. The free pigeon could reach it, while the tied one could not. The free pigeon happily ate all the food every 30 seconds. After an hour, the food stopped, and the free pigeon checked the food exit every 30 seconds. When it realized that no food was coming, it attacked the other pigeon.
The interesting thing is: The tied-up pigeon does not even know what the food tastes like. The free pigeon has no reason to assume that the other pigeon is responsible for the food stopping. The frustration is irrational, but present.
A chimpanzee presses a switch and receives some salad, which it then eats and enjoys. With a random press of the switch, grapes come out, which he really likes. The next time he presses, he gets another leaf of salad. This annoys the chimpanzee, and he throws the salad at the experimenter.
A rat receives a small electric shock at irregular intervals. It can avoid it for 30 seconds by pressing a lever. The rat quickly learns to press the lever at regular intervals to prevent the shock.
It seems that Bungie has found a good formula to balance reward, the pause between rewards, and the absence of rewards into a functioning equilibrium.
Just to clarify: There are 13 years between the article and today. And surely other MMOs also utilize insights from behavioral psychology, which is studied primarily on animals, to design their MMOs and reward systems. However, it seems Destiny has managed to do it even better than elsewhere.
In not entirely unrelated news… here is a player decoding 50 engrams:
https://youtu.be/mslElWvVXwc
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In the MMO shooter Destiny, impressive numbers are available. Almost 2 million players have attempted the only raid so far, “The Vault of Glass,” with about one in four managing to complete it on normal mode. 3.2 million players log in daily to Destiny.
Every 4th player can defeat Atheon on normal, but not even 2 out of 100 in Atheon Hard-Mode
Numbers are always nice. Kotaku has received statistics from raid designer Luke Smith regarding raid participation. He still feels connected to the site from earlier.
Since Destiny is immensely successful, the numbers are also impressive.
So, 1,970,087 players have stepped foot in “The Vault of Glass.” 472,082 players have defeated the boss Atheon and cleared the raid. That’s quite a hefty number, considering Destiny’s launch was only about a month ago. That’s nearly 24% of those who started raiding.
The raid also has a harder version, in the “hard” mode. That’s where the wheat is separated from the chaff: only 202,729 players have attempted a dance in the Vault when Heavy Metal is playing (10% of all raiders). Only the cream of the crop has defeated the final boss Atheon on Hard. Just 36,181 players, which is 1.8% of all those who have tried the raids.
Those are numbers that many other MMOs can only dream of. And one would have thought that shooter players would struggle with the MMO raids of Destiny.
This could be the incentive for many raiders: The best weapon in Destiny can only be obtained from the final boss on hard.
3.2 million guardians play Destiny every day for quite a while
The Weekly Update from Bungie.net also focuses on numbers this time. The average Destiny player has played Destiny 21 times so far. The average is 1.8 sessions per day. And the game is still as dangerous for time management as it was on day one: players still log in for 3 hours daily. This applies even for weekdays.
And one number that might make many competitors envious: 3.2 million players play Destiny every single day on average.
Trying something new is always a challenge. The “Raw Numbers,” the mere digits, as the community manager stated in the post, are proof that the journey has been worthwhile so far. They have enjoyed watching players evolve into legends.
To conclude, we have two videos for you. Here you can see Atheon in action, who is so important for the raiders:
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And here is an unusual commercial for Taco Bell, which has just launched a partnership with Destiny in the USA, where there is a PlayStation 4 bundle to win, which might surprise some:
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The MMO Skyforge is still waiting for the start of the Closed Beta, but it is already winning awards for the best MMORPG and the best Russian game at the Igromir fair.
Igromir, my.com reports, is the largest Russian gaming fair. The team has put in overtime to make the MMO playable in time for Igromir, and it has paid off. Those who have played it are said to be thrilled. Proudly, they display certificates for the best MMORPG and the best Russian game at Igromir 2014.
And those who complain that this is not significant, as the game won’t enter beta until the coming months? Even Western publishers are proud of awards like “Best MMO of E3 2012” and advertise this, even though the game was not really playable at that time. At least in marketing, there seem to be hardly any cultural differences.
There is also something for the eyes this week in Skyforge. Two new pieces of concept art have been released. One is above in the title and shows the god form of a goddess, this is Ianna, who helps players on their journey to godhood.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In the survival MMO H1Z1, this week’s focus in the dev blog was on the vehicles in the game. In addition to the already known Jeep, a pickup truck and bicycles are expected to follow. The system has also been refined over the past weeks.
Currently only Jeep; pickup truck and bicycles are expected to follow
For a long time, players only saw the same old Jeep, which occasionally ran out of fuel, ran over zombies, and would explode. But that won’t be all. In the dev blog, the folks at SOE let “Vehicle Game Designer” Kris Roberts explain his plans this time. He is currently working on the design of a pickup truck. How the truck is being developed, he explains with some technical details and images in a blog post. After the pickup, he will probably tackle something completely different, namely bicycles.
The means of transportation are supposed to feel truly different in H1Z1. The pickup is therefore not just a remodelling of the Jeep but a unique vehicle with its own driving characteristics.
Central locking, but no car keys in H1Z1 yet
Some of the features that went live last week have already been seen in the 80-minute live stream, where the more complex vehicle mechanics were already on display.
The driver now has control over whether the doors of his vehicle are locked or open. However, this only applies as long as he is inside. Once the driver exits, the vehicle reverts to being public property. However, they plan to change this in the future. Then keys will be introduced in the game, allowing a survivor to own his truck.
Jeep on its roof = explosion
At the moment, it’s a bit unrealistic that a Jeep explodes immediately when it lands on its roof. This is necessary, according to Roberts, to “recycle” the car and reintegrate it into the system. Otherwise, there would eventually be no cars left, as the limited vehicles would all be stuck on their roofs somewhere in the ditches.
However, according to Roberts, players could also imagine being able to flip a helpless vehicle back over to get it running again. Later, the cars will not be so easily flammable, akin to Hollywood portrayals.
While players used to worry only about their vehicle running out of gas, in H1Z1, you now need four components to make a car drivable: in addition to gasoline, a spark plug, a battery, and an engine are necessary. All four components wear out, need maintenance or replacement, and gasoline needs to be refueled.
At the moment, cars are still an effective method for killing zombies. The “Zeds” spectacularly bounce off the front bumper and tumble over, thanks to the H1Z1 ragdoll mechanics, like ski racers after a nasty miscalculation. However, zombie roadkills will not remain feasible for much longer; in the future, zombies will be able to damage the vehicle. Anyone who has ever experienced a wildlife accident with a deer or wild boar will understand that this is realistic.
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Additionally, a new 5-piece set will be introduced, for which crafters will have to put in a lot of effort. The bonus will be impressive: Two Mundus Stones can be activated simultaneously.
They are also adjusting the balance: Stamina users, such as archers and melee fighters, have felt inferior to players who focus on magicka so far. They want to change that, not through a nerf of the magicka users, but by buffing the stamina friends.
Overall, they have prepared 37 pages of patch notes for Update 5. It’s going to be a massive change. The key systems will be introduced in more detail in the coming weeks.
We found a video for you where you can watch an hour-long discussion about Update 5, complete with many screenshots and clips. Additionally, it’s a great opportunity for fans to get to know the different personalities working on the game. Even in the brief discussions, it becomes clear that a diverse group of developers with very different traits is at work.
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In the fantasy MMO The Elder Scrolls Online, the Update 5 will be available on the test server next week. Last night, ESO Live took place, and leading developers from Zenimax presented the individual features of what is likely the most extensive update so far. It is already clear that Update 5 will be a massive package.
Since about last month, Zenimax has been hosting a kind of late-night show every two weeks, where they casually discuss the MMO The Elder Scrolls Online (Okay, for us it’s late-night; in the USA, it’s a cozy afternoon talk).
Yesterday, the German Community Manager Kai Schober moderated the round. On a “magical chair,” the heads of various teams at Zenimax appeared one by one to introduce what will land on the test server next week. And it’s really something. Instead of bringing a large new zone or new instances as in previous updates, this time we see the first harbingers of the announced remodeling.
Speech Bubbles and Better Facial Animation
The facial animations are supposed to improve thanks to FaceFX. This should make NPCs in The Elder Scrolls Online appear as if they are speaking when the voiceovers kick in. So far, they look strangely waxy. Here, Zenimax initially focused on English; in German and French, the NPCs still struggle to remain lip-synchronized. They are working on that. The developers are particularly hoping for feedback from players on the test server since the changes are so extensive.
By the way: It is not that hard to animate humanoid cat and lizard beings. There is creative freedom with them. After all, no one has ever had a conversation with them. After the urgently needed current changes (“It could only get better”), they want to continue working on making NPC body language lively and relevant to what is being said.
Surprisingly, speech bubbles are also set to come with the update. This is something that role players have wanted. What someone says will not only be displayed in chat but will also appear – like in a comic – directly above the character. The speech bubbles are disabled by default and can be toggled on as desired.
Delves, Dungeons, and LFG
A dedicated team is working on the Delves, the caves with Skyshards in the world of The Elder Scrolls Online. Here, they will be overhauling 18 caves per update. This is set to happen this time as well. The goal is to make them larger and more diverse. The arts team is also expected to have more opportunities to showcase their talents and impress players. It should become more exciting to traverse the caves rather than just a mechanical “left, left, big room with boss and Skyshard” situation.
The dungeon scaling is one of the main topics in Update 5. With the update, solo instances will also adjust to the player’s level. This aims to prevent a player, who is catching up on missions, from only fighting gray mobs and finding worthless equipment.
In groups, instances will scale to the group leader’s level. The first round of dungeons will scale down to a low value of 10. All normal dungeons will go up to level 50. The veteran dungeons range in difficulty from veteran rank 1 to 12 – not quite reaching the maximum level. Only the newly introduced dungeon, the Veteran City of Ash, will go up to veteran rank 14 and really challenge players.
The City of Ash also continues the storyline of the “normal” version of the instance and sounds fiery, so much can already be revealed. As drops, there will be an armor set in the City of Ash that rewards “heavy attacks.” Here, heavy attacks refer to attacks fully charged by holding down the mouse button.
The LFG system of The Elder Scrolls Online will also be revamped. This should be faster and more practical.
The Undaunted Move, Award Daily Quests
The Undaunted have been driven out of their bars and dives with the next update. But fear not, there will still be plenty of alcohol and treasures in their new location. They will now award daily quests that lead players into the dungeons. Depending on how successful the players are there, whether they defeat additional bosses or stay within certain time limits, they will receive a bronze, silver, or gold key.
This opens treasure chests that may contain rewards, including a special set that aims to improve interactions between stamina and magicka abilities. When using a stamina ability, it buffs the magicka values, and vice versa. This aims to provide more variety in TESO.
Daily quests will also be introduced for crafting so that aspiring crafters can experience a bit more variety in their daily routine. The reward here includes pieces of treasure maps that lead to particularly valuable resources.
The new crafting style “Dwemer” will not simply be found in a book to be read as the previous styles were. This book will be divided into individual “chapters” (at least 11 could be inferred from a screen). Each chapter teaches the ability to craft an item in the new style. This aims to stimulate trading and bring in more variety.
By the way, those who were particularly clever and hoarded all Dwemer scrap for 6 months, thinking they might be useful, can now dispose of it. The materials to craft items in the Dwemer style will be newly introduced with Update 5.
More Skill Points on Login for Veterans, More Love for Werewolves
Update 5 also brings a change to the veteran system, which is set to be replaced soon. Now, each veteran rank will provide additional skill and stat points. Anyone logging in with a VR-14 character will have quite a few points to allocate. Overall, the presentation was a kind of cornucopia for players. Often the reaction was “It’s like Christmas!”
Also, the werewolves are finally set to receive the long-missed attention of designers in The Elder Scrolls Online. They will acquire magicka abilities to fully utilize both resources.
New Sets; Stamina Abilities Are Set to Become Stronger
Furthermore, they are introducing several new sets into the game and being creative with them: Helmets that drop from bosses in dungeons resemble masks of the respective end boss. Whoever wears these alongside special shoulders from the Undaunted dailies will unlock a 2-piece bonus that grants a passive proc. The bonus is styled after the boss as well.
Additionally, a new 5-piece set will be introduced, for which crafters will have to put in a lot of effort. The bonus will be impressive: Two Mundus Stones can be activated simultaneously.
They are also adjusting the balance: Stamina users, such as archers and melee fighters, have felt inferior to players who focus on magicka so far. They want to change that, not through a nerf of the magicka users, but by buffing the stamina friends.
Overall, they have prepared 37 pages of patch notes for Update 5. It’s going to be a massive change. The key systems will be introduced in more detail in the coming weeks.
We found a video for you where you can watch an hour-long discussion about Update 5, complete with many screenshots and clips. Additionally, it’s a great opportunity for fans to get to know the different personalities working on the game. Even in the brief discussions, it becomes clear that a diverse group of developers with very different traits is at work.
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The MMO shooter Destiny is currently facing criticism from fans regarding the Iron Banner tournament. It doesn’t work as announced, the Guardians’ power doesn’t really come into play, and gear doesn’t play the crucial role. These issues have been recognized, and they plan to change the rules for next time.
Iron Banner was marketed incorrectly
It seems to be a “communication problem” that plagues the Iron Banner. In the latest “Weekly Update,” a weekly blog to the community, Bungie addresses the fans of Destiny. The blog’s writer, Community Manager DeeJ, also struggled to prepare for the Iron Banner event, gathering items intensively for two weeks, and fought through a raid until he reached level 26 for the event. Then he was taken out by a level 6 Warlock.
They had specifically advertised that gear actually matters in Iron Banner. “Power matters!” “Your power matters.”
Clearly, Bungie misrepresented the Iron Banner and placed too much emphasis on the power advantage, even though it makes little difference in practice.
80% skill, 20% gear in Destiny’s Iron Banner
In a conversation with Senior Designer Derek Caroll, he makes it clear that armor is only slightly more important in the Iron Banner than in the normal Crucible. Skill still accounts for 80% of success. The last 20% are significantly easier with the right gear.
But anyone who expected to rampage with their top gear will be disappointed. Essentially, better armor only provides a small buffer; you can take a few more shots. The level advantage can only be a maximum of 7 anyway. Whether a level 4 player or a level 23 player faces off against a level 30 player makes no difference. Perhaps Bungie set the Iron Banner too conservatively this time to allow as many players as possible to participate, ensuring everyone could enjoy the event.
Iron Banner will work differently next time
They also address the issue of players simply leaving matches when they feel disadvantaged in the Weekly Update. As always, they review the data, analyze it, and will come up with a solution to address the problem in the future.
One could expect, Bungie says, that Lord Saladin plays by different rules when he calls for the Iron Banner event in Destiny next time.
This video, in which a level 4 Guardian takes down higher-level players in the Iron Banner with a level 1 automatic rifle, has gone global:
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The first Black Pearl in the western ArcheAge was launched last night. We had the opportunity for an interview with the guild leader of “Impact,” the proud captain, so to speak.
The Black Pearl is one of the prestige items in ArcheAge, a milestone for any guild. When we recently had the chance to talk with ArcheAge producer Victoria Voss, she also saw the “Black Pearl” as such a milestone and noted that no guild had succeeded in building it, neither in North America nor in Europe. That changed last night. The Progress Guild Impact succeeded in finishing their Black Pearl with the help of some alliance partners and launched it. Impact is based on the eastern continent of Kyprosa. This is also the largest server under Trion Worlds’ management, with 10% more capacity than the rest.
We had the opportunity for a written interview with the guild leader of Impact, Viciskander.
The photo shows the leading figures of the guilds Impact and Migard, who were responsible for the construction. Our interviewee Vicis is the gentleman far left.
Congratulations on the first Black Pearl in North America and Europe! How did this moment feel for the guild Impact?
Thank you. The atmosphere was of course great last night. There was a celebratory mood, especially after the baptism of fire against the “Italian Bastardz,” there was jubilation.
The producer of ArcheAge, Victoria Voss, told us in an interview that the Black Pearl is the ultimate goal for many guilds. Why is that and what advantages do you hope to gain from it?
Well, the Black Pearl is unrivaled in its radar range, speed, and fire rate. The ship is a predator and at the same time a warhorse due to its properties. Even with a hull crew, it is easy to defend as long as the people know what to do.
How many people were involved and how long did it take?
Our guild has just over 200 members. Everyone contributed. It took us about a week without specifically working towards it, as other projects like weapon and equipment crafting had to continue simultaneously.
Does the guild Impact have any further goals now that the mightiest ship has been built?
Yes, of course there are further goals. The Black Pearl is not an “end content” for us, but just a step along the way. Currently, we are working hard to equip all members so that they are competitive in open PvP. Additionally, the northern continent will soon be implemented into the game, and we definitely want to be there. We are still at the very beginning of the game. We are far, far away from player-generated end content.
ArcheAge makes a lot of headlines regarding hacking and bot issues. How do you see the situation at the moment? Is it really that bad?
Well, these problems have actually been known since the Korean version. It was to be expected that Trion and XLGames would not redesign the game from the ground up to make hacking and botting impossible… if they could even do that. Personally, I am mainly annoyed by the gold spammers. Whether there are various hacks, I do not know. There are some YouTube videos, but if that really exists, why do we have the Black Pearl and not someone who can cheat unlimited gold? Bots and gold sellers are indeed a problem. But ArcheAge is not alone in this. Most MMOs struggle with it. Unfortunately, I do not believe that the situation regarding gold sellers and bots will change.
What is life like for a large progress guild in ArcheAge? Is it fun?
Yes, of course it is fun, otherwise we wouldn’t have so many members. Of course, not every “job” and not every player enjoys everything all the time. Especially because we have a more communist system including central management and planning, there are always members who do not really cope with this and leave us. In a guild, it is sometimes like in a family… good times, bad times… and at the moment we are undoubtedly in the good times.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
