While Blizzard’s free card game Hearthstone proves to be an eSports hit, World of Warcraft struggles to score in this area. Could live-streamed raids change that?
An article on PCGamesN addresses the eSports imbalance between Blizzard’s two games, Hearthstone and World of Warcraft. While 50,000 viewers followed the European qualifiers for Hearthstone from home over the weekend, and the tension among fans in the venue was palpable, the WoW arena tournament happening right next door failed to impress.
This is also the view of Kim Phan, the head of eSports at Blizzard: “Yes, the three-on-three in the arena is quite difficult to watch at the moment. And that is an area we will be looking at,” she says.
Hearthstone developed with eSports in mind – WoW not
Hearthstone has always been designed with the concept of eSports in the background and is now exploding in this area. In contrast, World of Warcraft was conceived long before eSports became such a big deal and was never intended to be an experience that viewers could enjoy.
With Warlords of Draenor, they aim to remove some obstacles for eSports, but some issues are hard to avoid.
Therefore, Phan is considering exploring new paths and also looking at alternatives to arenas: “There are a lot of things in World of Warcraft that people want to watch. We have had good experiences with raids. Some suggest battlegrounds. Ultimately, an eSport is created when people want to watch it. We will take a close look at how we can improve that in World of Warcraft.”
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In the MMO Destiny, there has been a lot of commotion around the loot caves in recent weeks. Now, PC players can enjoy the full experience of farming loot in Destiny for hours with a simulator.
The treasure cave in Destiny was open, closed, a new one was found, and it will surely close again soon. There has been a discussion about how Bungie wants Destiny to be played and how fans want to play Destiny. The “treasure cave,” one can agree, is not exactly super fun, but effective, and players just love it when tons of green, blue, and purple stuff is lying on the ground, waiting to be picked up.
Some (including Bungie now) say that it was a design flaw in Destiny not to celebrate great loot like in other games. While the sparkle of the loot cave after extensive shooting sessions gives exactly this kick.
Anyway. A developer has taken the fun of creating a “loot cave” simulator, so to speak, Destiny in a nutshell. A video of it is available below. If you want to see how the loot cave in Destiny is or if you will miss it soon, this simulator will make you happy.
We also have links to the original loot cave and its imitators for you:
In the MMO shooter Destiny, a player was able to see game content that is supposedly already in the game but not yet accessible due to a bug. Some fans find this quite amusing, as they think that Destiny is too light compared to Bungie’s grand claims.
It is not entirely clear what caused it. It was probably the Toad Attack. They couldn’t handle it, despite announcing to completely withdraw, and resumed their activities. They launched a DDOS attack on the Destiny servers and set a lot in motion. However, that was only about the sixth most important news about Destiny that turbulent weekend.
Spoiler Alert: This post contains information about the content of upcoming DLCs and even speculations about profound story developments towards the end.
The two new DLCs do not bring any new planets to Destiny
Whether it was because of that or not: A player suddenly had no access to Destiny. He was virtually “outside the world”, stuck on the Destiny login screen and could not access the individual contents because he did not meet the requirements. However, he could already recognize some missions, strikes, and even two raids that were associated with the announced DLCs “The Dark Below” and “House of Wolves”. They were supposed to come later, and their content was still a mystery. The way the player could see these contents but not enter them reminded fans of the Destiny beta. It was the same there.
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Is this in the DLCs “The Dark Below” and “House of Wolves”?
“The Dark Below” is slated to be the first expansion for Destiny in December. As can be seen, the expansion includes three story missions, two strikes, and one raid. “House of Wolves” (is expected to arrive in early 2015) brings three story missions, one strike, and one raid. Additionally, there is a new mode called “Skirmish”, which is supposed to work in a way that players receive greater rewards for a winning streak. However, all content is currently found on the known planets. Some had hoped that Bungie would significantly expand the universe with the upcoming DLCs. While it is not impossible that they will still do that, there are no indications for it.
These are the missions in detail:
The Dark Below
Old Russia, Earth Level 18 Story – The Veil Lifted Root out the Hive beneath the Cosmodrome and discover a long-hidden secret of the Golden Age.
Old Russia, Earth Level 18 Story – The Seeding Investigate the return of ancient Hive Wizards, preparing for Crota’s reign.
Ocean of Storms, Moon Level 20 Story – The Wakening Stop the Hive from summoning Crota and consuming our worlds.
Old Russia, Earth Level 10 Strike – The Jovian Complex A new Hive brood gathers its strength beneath the Cosmodrome. Find their master and purge them all.
Meridian Bay, Mars Level 20 Strike – The Hypogeum The resurrection of the Black Garden has begun. Stop the Vex before the Garden’s heart beats again.
Ocean of Storms, Moon Level 28 Raid – Crota’s End He waits in the dark below.
House Of Wolves
Old Russia, Earth Level 20 Story – Gone to Ground Find a Wolves Baron and his conspirators who have betrayed the Queen and are hiding in the Cosmodrome.
Ishstar Sink, Venus Level 20 Story – Wolves’ Harvest Track down the Queen’s traitorous Wolves and recover what they’ve stolen from the Awoken.
Ishtar Sink, Venus Level 22 Story – The Citadel Ascend to the top of the Vex stronghold on Venus and assassinate the Wolves’ Kell.
Ocean of Storms, Moon Level 14 Strike – Moon Strike [probably just a placeholder name] No description
The Reef, Asteroid Belt Level 28 Raid – Reef Raid [also probably a placeholder] No description
Players are frustrated that so much is missing in Destiny
The idea that the two expansions with their contents are clear and even already in the game comes at a rather unfortunate time. Many players, YouTubers (and also some media) are currently accusing Bungie of intentionally equipping Destiny with too little content so that they can sell their expansions later.
On reddit, there is a huge thread, that shows how little of the originally announced game actually went live with Destiny. There is a lack of story, atmosphere, everything. Thus, some see Destiny as a watered-down deceptive package and not the full package that was promised. The impression arises that as much meat as possible was cut from the main game to have enough content for the expansions later. This impression is further reinforced by the repeated appearances of videos showing completed areas in the world, that are already complete but still sealed.
The brother of the queen plays a key role in the originally intended plot.
On the other hand, it is also possible that Destiny decided relatively shortly before the release to steer the story of the game in a different direction and cut several twists and plot turns from the game. This is supported, in the opinion of some reddit users, by the departure of Bungie’s writers. There are indications that it was originally intended to question the role of the mysterious Traveler more critically, after all, he brought the darkness with him. Whether this will happen in a future DLC or whether a creative decision was made for a different direction is still uncertain at the moment. The story seems to consist only of allusions currently.
According to Bungie, DLCs are not yet finished, work is ongoing
Update 21:50: There is now an official statement from Bungie regarding the incidents described here. They say they are currently working on completing the DLCs. The contents found here are merely placeholders and names (which could still change). They will inform players about the contents of the DLCs as soon as they are ready. In this context, they confirm that the first DLC for Destiny “The Dark Below” is on schedule and is set to be released in December.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The fantasy MMO Guild Wars 2 is further aiming to establish itself as a serious eSport game. And so they are tackling typical issues that come with such a competitive mentality, such as players insulting and flaming each other.
Guild Wars 2 takes eSports very seriously. There is no doubt about that. Even though the previous efforts have yet to really attract the interest of Twitch viewers, ArenaNet is firmly determined to establish Guild Wars 2 as an eSports game. They likely see themselves at an advantage compared to other MMORPGs due to the comparatively low influence of equipment on character strength and the skill-based nature of the game.
The hordes of MOBA players, the currently trending eSports trend, would probably love to have every MMORPG in their ranks or at least a part of it. They would be desperately needed fresh blood, while the core player base of MMORPGs is getting older. These theories are at least read quite often and seem to be plausible and supported by the numbers. In the coming years, some MMORPGs will probably notice trends that aim to attract players more from League of Legends or DOTA 2 rather than World of Warcraft or Star Wars: The Old Republic as it was in previous years.
Josh Davis has been appointed as the “Competitive Events Manager” and already announced another huge tournament in China, where a prize of $50,000 is at stake and where, right before Nikolaustag, the best teams from Europe, China, and North America are to compete in a tournament for the world championship. A similar tournament was organized for Gamescom in Cologne and here, in addition to local players, top players from China and North America were flown in – despite the effort, the battles didn’t really get much attention on Twitch.
They also have their own streaming show that deals with this specific form of PvP, presents the mode extensively at conventions, and actually does everything to make it clear: Guild Wars 2 is the eSports MMORPG. As mentioned: Currently, the success in terms of viewers is still lacking. But apparently, they are willing to wait for it.
Here is a recent presentation of Guild Wars 2 at the EGX in London, clearly showing that they aim to introduce MOBA players to MMORPGs.
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In the official forum of Guild Wars 2, Josh Davis was confronted with a typical problem of eSport games: top players are ambitious, the competition among themselves is fierce, nerves are frayed, insults and flames fly back and forth within a team and also between competing teams.
A stream between two teams was recently posted in the GW2 forum. It is no longer viewable, but from the comments, it is clear that things got quite heated.
On the second page, Josh Davis made it clear that such behavior will not be tolerated under his supervision. Like Riot recently threatened players with penalties up to exclusion from eSports, if they behave “toxic”. This could probably be most aptly translated as “like an ass”.
Pro gamers must behave professionally soon
Davis presents his post as a “friendly reminder”, but makes no doubt that he intends to take strong action against such behavior. A corresponding code of conduct is planned.
In recent weeks, Riot has stood out for regulating the sometimes severe behavior of their pro gamers, to elevate eSports in League of Legends to a new level. Even top League of Legends players are now threatened with exclusion if they cannot keep themselves in check.
Understandably: After all, these players set an example, stand in the spotlight and their behavior reflects back on the game. Those who want to be treated like a pro and celebrated should probably get used to the idea of behaving professionally.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The SF-MMO WildStar is transitioning from separate worlds to Mega-Servers. The date is not yet finalized, but it looks like mid-October.
Over the weekend, WildStar posted a major “State of the Game” update from Mike Donatelli, who talked about the future of WildStar, which has not looked so bright in recent weeks. Carbine hopes that the transition to Mega-Servers will make the world of Nexus feel more vibrant again.
At the moment, there is still no exact timeframe for the transition. Now the Director of Operations at WildStar, Cougar, has stated that they are still on schedule. Originally, they spoke of three to six weeks. Currently, it looks like they might just meet this timeline. The Mega-Servers are currently in a testing phase, and there may still be delays, hence there is no exact date yet.
However, the Mega-Servers are not tied to the 3rd content drop (which is scheduled for early November). Cougar’s announcement suggests that the Mega-Servers could go live around mid-October and thus six weeks after the announcement in early September.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The South Korean sandbox MMO Black Desert is set to come to the West and breathe new life into the struggling MMORPG market. We present it in a preview and highlight classes, gameplay, housing, sandbox, and PvP.
Currently, the third phase of the closed beta of Black Desert is running in Korea. The first detailed insights are also appearing in the West. The game feels like the currently popular Korean MMO ArcheAge, albeit with significantly better graphics and an action combat system similar to Tera.
2015, 2016 marks the Asian invasion; MMORPGs need fresh ideas
After 2014 experienced a resurgence of the Western market with The Elder Scrolls Online and WildStar, MMO experts predict a strong influence from Asian MMORPGs in the coming years, which could revitalize the market with sandbox elements. The upcoming Western AAA projects – like Everquest Next – are also heading in this direction.
Alongside the ArcheAge released in September and the somewhat aged Blade and Soul, which is supposed to come to the West in 2015, fresh games like Black Desert and Bless Online have set their sights on our market.
Black Desert is likely the hottest contender at the moment. Currently, the MMORPG is in the third closed beta in Korea, and the first tests in Europe are expected to begin in early 2015, with the game set to release in 2016. It’s high time we introduce you to Black Desert in more detail. We will take a current video from mmobomb from the Closed Beta as a reference.
Unusual for the West: Race and Gender Lock
In character creation, players encounter a first surprise: the “classes” available have a set race and gender. The “Berserker” variant of Black Desert, an offensive warrior wielding two weapons, is only available as a male giant, hence the class is called Giant. Currently, 4 classes are playable in Korea, with four more to come.
Even though the classes, decidedly unusual for us, are rigidly fixed on race and gender, Black Desert features an extensive character creator. When it was presented in a video a few months ago, it made people’s mouths water here. It really did look fantastic. And it single-handedly ensured that Black Desert appeared on many mental maps for the first time and lodged itself there.
The eight classes of Black Desert
The four classes already playable in Korea are:
The Ranger, a female archer.
http://youtu.be/aHeWXntYWi0
The Warrior, a classic male tank with sword and shield.
http://youtu.be/6KVw4Efd2l0
Sorcerer, a magician who is agile and shines with damage spells from a distance.
http://youtu.be/yoFWgRM8Q3E
And the Giant, a large berserker as melee DPS with two oversized axes.
http://youtu.be/LDLxj2xxK5c
The four additional classes that are yet to come are:
Tamer, a “tamer” who relies on a sword and her animal companions. So a pet class.
The Wizard, a male wizard, somewhat akin to Gandalf with a staff and focusing on AE spells.
Valkyrie, the Valkyrie, serving as a counterpart to the male tank, the women focus more on support skills.
And the Blader, another melee DPS variant that fights with more finesse and elegance than the brute Giant.
Gameplay: Quests are rather dull, sandbox elements dominate
One of the few criticisms noted in the video is the quests, which seem generically dull to us in the West. However, this criticism has been a recurring theme in the history of Asian MMOs in the West. ArcheAge and Tera struggle with this as well. And also sandbox games usually don’t shine with intricate stories and exciting quests; the content is provided by the players for each other.
So it seems, according to the video, that in Black Desert, a frequently used alternative is to skip quests and instead grind mobs. Since every character primarily focuses on AE, this is quite practical.
In the long run, Black Desert is more of a sandbox PvP game with strong crafting elements. A description that also applies to ArcheAge. Guilds could occupy fortresses, players might go hunting for others, and a karma system is implemented.
Through the crafting system, it generally tends to be that each player sets their own goals and aims to pursue their chosen goal Y on day X by completing step Z. While in Western MMOs, it tends to be a fixed progression path from zone A to B, questing until the maximum level and then diving into the item spiral. This won’t be the case in Black Desert. As in ArcheAge, the path to the best gear goes through crafting and sandbox elements.
Combat System: Really Good, But Potion Heavy
The combat system is one of the highlights of Black Desert. It is entirely free, not tab-based. The attacks are fluid. You can feel the weight behind each attack (this is somewhat of a holy grail among combat system fans).
However, combat in Black Desert, as is common in Asian MMOs, is also “flashy,” with blood splatter and a shaking screen, making it seem restless and exaggerated. Western players might need to get used to this.
In Black Desert, there are no healers. Healing potions are on a five-second timer. The game practically encourages players to become potion junkies, which can be quite annoying sometimes.
The combo-based combat system becomes more appealing as players unlock skills with increasing experience in combat, allowing for fresh combinations. Black Desert mimics the combat system of modern Asian MMOs, where the goal is to string together spectacular combos. It has a bit of a Street Fighter feel.
Crafting: Now It Gets Interesting
The crafting system is complex like in ArcheAge. There are also some parallels to the sandbox MMO. However, the traderuns in Black Desert do not have to be taken on directly, but players can hire NPCs for that. These also take care of resource gathering. Since these characters do not (like now in World of Warcraft or Rift) only exist in some sort of mini-game, but instead are really visible in the world and follow their daily routines, the game feels lively and interesting in the cities.
As in ArcheAge, crafting capacity is regulated by a kind of “energy” system. In Black Desert, players will also not be able to craft until they drop, but are limited to specific energy boundaries, similar to a browser game.
Gossip and a Roof Over Your Head
Black Desert introduces a sort of “gossip” system. This allows players to improve their relationship with individual NPCs in a mini-game, leading to discounts or unlocking quests. The mini-game involves integrating the individual NPCs into a social matrix, enabling them to obtain information about others that interest them.
Housing plays a key role in Black Desert. Not only do you need specific furniture in your house to advance in crafting, but you can also build huts for NPCs under your command.
Things like crafting, housing, and mini-games are still relatively difficult to describe and thus make appealing to readers because they don’t translate well into a three-minute video like the combat system does. But ArcheAge or even the long-lasting Eve Online show that MMO fans appreciate a deep and immersive crafting system and honor it with loyalty.
How to Traverse the World: Mounts, Parkour, and Low Doors
The game differentiates itself from current MMO representatives by taking mounts and world navigation seriously. While in other MMORPGs doors symbolize access to instances, in Black Desert they can be opened and walked through. In fact, larger characters even crouch.
The world is walkable, explorable, and climbable. There’s a sort of parkour system allowing players to scale a city. Above all, the graphics are revolutionary. It rains, puddles form, the hero wades through it, and clothes get wet – a tremendous leap from what we know and see today.
Also, Black Desert answers the mount question differently than its competitors. Mounts cannot simply be stored in a magical bag after use but must be returned to a stable or picked up on-site. They can also level up and be equipped with gear. Mounted combat is also expected to come. There’s also talk of naval combat, though we haven’t seen that yet.
Black Desert Could Hit the Mark, But Will Still Require Compromises
My MMO states: Black Desert sounds almost too good to be true at the moment, like the logical symbiosis of two games. Many are bothered by Tera’s lack of depth. ArcheAge lacks a more dynamic combat system and a “wow” effect in graphics for some. If Black Desert can hit the mark here, the future could indeed be very Asian.
However, Black Desert should hurry. One and a half years is a long time. If delays occur during the port, as with other MMOs, the enthusiasm and anticipation felt by many may turn into frustration.
In principle, many MMO veterans yearn for a sandbox game, for an experience that is different from World of Warcraft and its epigones. Currently, there are only a few sandbox alternatives on the MMORPG market, and those offered are often either old or aimed at the indie niche. A modern triple-A game could be a hit here, as long as it hurries with the porting and doesn’t just offer a pretty façade but also proves its depth.
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Whether local players are willing to make compromises is still open. In the video about character creation, many were indeed astonished at first with open mouths at the possibilities. However, they waved it off when they heard about the gender lock: many were not willing to accept this compromise. Because for many MMO players, such signals trigger memories of many cheap Asian grinders that quickly burn players out and leave them frustrated. For Black Desert, it will be about convincing Westerners that it has nothing to do with certain notorious Eastern imports.
But this is not a one-way street. Although the publisher of Black Desert, Daum, has assured that it will respond to the peculiarities of the Western market, Western players will have to make compromises if they truly yearn for something new.
As much as it has long been clear that Black Desert will not be a World of Warcraft with a Chinese coat of paint or some clone, it aims to offer players a new experience. Whether they are ready for that and whether Black Desert can truly deliver it, time will tell.
Black Desert is set to enter a beta phase in Europe in early 2015, with release expected in 2016.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In the beta of Warlords of Draenor, the expansion for the MMO World of Warcraft, a new mount has appeared that seems to be intended as a reward for the Recruit-a-Friend program.
In the past, there were rockets, today there are Flame Steeds. The resourceful data miners from mmo-champion have struck gold again. They discovered images of a Flame Steed, which – as the item description says – “was created personally by Ragnaros for the daughter he never had.”
A Recruit-a-Friend program works like this: One player invites a friend via email to try out this thing called World of Warcraft. If the recipient of the message accepts and subscribes, Blizzard can welcome a new player and the recruiter can look forward to Warlords of Draenor with Flame Fury.
And yes – the first party poopers are saying that it’s just a flame reskin of the Hearthsteed mount. Here’s the Charger in action:
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In the MMO shooter Destiny, an exotic weapon has emerged that dominates the Crucible. The fusion rifle Vex Mythoclast counts as a primary weapon despite its class and packs a serious punch. It comes from the hard mode of the raid, the Vault of Glass, from the final boss Atheon.
Many MMOs struggle with the issue of having weapons in PvP that are too strong in PvE. Recently, WildStar faced this problem. World of Warcraft has been working for years to separate the game modes so that PvE gear is not too strong in the arena and PvP players cannot assert themselves in raids and dungeons with their items. Now, this problem also occurs in Destiny.
Interestingly, shooter games often attract a community that values fairness. Matches should be decided by skill. The new fusion rifle seems to make the owner play in God mode with instant kills activated. Normally, such things are regulated by a system that equalizes items in PvP. However, the best weapon in Destiny bypasses this balance.
The probably best weapon in Destiny combines advantages of fusion and scout rifles
In Destiny, a fusion rifle that drops from the final boss Atheon in the Vault of Glass on hard mode threatens to kill the balance in PvP. This is the exotic fusion rifle “Vex Mythoclast.” Normally, fusion rifles in Destiny are only special weapons, known as secondary weapons. However, exotic items sometimes break the rules set in the game, and that also applies to the Vex Mythoclast. This weapon counts as a primary weapon and causes significant damage.
As eurogamer.net analyzes, the probably best weapon in Destiny is a cross between a fusion rifle and a scout rifle that does as much damage as a special weapon without carrying the disadvantages of that category: It doesn’t rely on special ammunition, nor does it suffer from a slow rate of fire.
Since just this week, the first attempts in hard mode of “The Vault of Glass” have been made, the weapon is not yet widespread. Perhaps half a dozen of these killing machines might be in circulation at the moment, rather fewer.
Vex Mythoclast drops from Atheon in the Vault of Glass on “hard”
The Vex Mythoclast is not always dropped by the boss – that would be too brutal – but only as a rare reward. The effects of the weapon can be seen in a PvP video: Here, a player dominates the Crucible so hard that enemies leave the match in droves. With just a few shots, he takes down opponent after opponent, only a Bladedancer sometimes manages to catch him in close combat.
The weapon and the drop were introduced by a lucky finder on reddit, and another player posted the link to the total dominance in the Crucible. One can be sure that the topic will be hotly discussed in the coming hours and days. A magazine is already speculating,that only the Suros Regime, an exotic auto rifle, could match with the Mythoclast – ironically, it was available during the weekend at Xur.
A nerf of the Vex Mythoclast is expected. However, this might take some time. At the moment, too few players have the weapon.
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You can check out the weapon more closely here . The profile of the type who makes shish kebabs out of opponents in the video can be found at bungie.net. And whatever else we have to say about Destiny, you can find at mein-mmo.de on the topic page.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
There are very few games that make me feel both so happy and so sad at the same time as WildStar has in recent months. I don’t particularly like myself for my view of “the glass is half empty”, but I find it hard to shake this feeling off. The game has been in a downward spiral since its launch, the end of which I simply cannot see.
The recent changes: Easier raid access, faster progress
Raiding guilds are struggling with a lack of newcomers. This is supposed to improve with less grind and the megaserver.
The prevailing motto of the developers “The devs are listening” led to more or less prompt responses to the biggest complaints. While they continue to maintain the actual difficulty of the raids, access to these contents has been significantly eased. Parts of the questline that felt particularly “grindy” have been simplified so that latecomers can also participate in the raids faster (to then complain about their difficulty in the forum).
Another change is the availability of VIP and skill points, which could previously only be painstakingly acquired through ancestral gems that could only be obtained in very limited amounts – this gave characters who played from the very beginning a significant advantage, especially in PvP. With the new system, all characters – at least theoretically – can unleash their full potential within a week.
All this unfortunately does not disguise the fact that quite a bit is not working smoothly.
WildStar: A rocket in free fall
I praised WildStar in review back then for many positive aspects (and still do today), but it seems that the target audience is simply much smaller than expected.
All the players who longed for the “hardcore” raids of the past seem to have disappeared, or – which is much more likely – are simply not as “hardcore” as the often glorified past when you still experimented for 4 evenings a week around Chromaggus in the Blackwing Lair.
What went wrong?
I believe one can state without much opposition that a lot went wrong with WildStar. There were virtually no advertising campaigns for the game, or they were so cleverly hidden that no one noticed them. While all promises made at the launch of the game were kept, like many MMOs before, WildStar also suffered from countless teething problems like bugs and balancing issues that simply ruined certain aspects of the game.
No two months after the release, it was announced that the original plan for monthly content patches could not be kept and that they did not want to commit to any fixed dates – sad, considering that the contents of Content Drop 1 and 2 were mostly playable during beta. Certain inconsistencies in PvP (such as the uselessness of healers for a long time) drove many players away, and whether they will return is questionable.
The future: What could happen?
In the near future, we can expect megaservers, a rescue measure to consolidate declining player numbers, so that content such as instances and raids can still be experienced. While this is good for most players, it is rather detrimental to role-players, as I have already adequately mentioned. I sadly doubt that megaservers will be the comprehensive salvation that Carbine hopes for. Pessimistically, this looks like a clear case of “too little, too late” to me.
WildStar as a F2P game?
A long-term solution would be the transition to the free-to-play model, as many other games have done. Such a switch has, for example, saved TERA and SW:TOR from certain doom and turned them back into worthwhile projects with rising player numbers. At the same time, such a change is, of course, associated with a severe loss of prestige, as the transition is generally seen as a “death certificate” for an MMORPG.
If the developers were to take such a step, a new form of the in-game shop would inevitably be added. Possible offerings could include various exclusive housing items or potions that allow for faster experience gain. Account services such as additional character slots, name changes, or special costumes could also be conceivable, similar to what GuildWars 2 (and many others) does.
What is good and will stay good?
My favorite aspect of the game has only improved since day one – the housing is still fantastic, extensive, and the possibilities are virtually endless. No matter what one wants to realize, whether gloomy, silly, sublime, or kitschy, in Nexus, everyone can realize their own dream. The already rather relaxed maximum limits for items will be significantly raised in the upcoming patch, so one can let their creativity run wild even more than before.
The second major point is the fantastic combat system. Even after three months, I still enjoy the PvE aspects of the game, mostly due to the challenging telegraph system – although a few new enemy types with new attack patterns would be beneficial for the game.
What worries me: The developers
One thing that makes me very sad is the fact that you still see the developers cheerfully smiling in their livestreams. Perhaps I’m just imagining it, but I try to put myself in their shoes: They have worked for nearly eight years on WildStar, and the game received excellent reviews – and then the hype dies within a few weeks.
And yet they keep in close contact with the fans, answer many questions, and hold the “Nexus Report” weekly – even when only 500 people worldwide are watching the livestream. And yet they smile. I wouldn’t know how I would feel if years of work, which one is so convinced of and which was promising in every respect, failed as WildStar has. I can only hope that the people behind the smile feel the same way, that they remain optimistic about the future, and continue to hold on to their vision of WildStar – because the game is great; it just lacks players. So paradoxical as that sounds.
WildStar is an excellent game with a target audience that has simply become too small over the years. The upcoming months will show whether Carbine remains true to this small player core and continues to deliver what they promised or whether they will bow and make WildStar more mainstream, inevitably drowning it in the homogenized mass of today’s MMO variety. Regardless of what they do, someone will disapprove.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In the Sandpark MMO ArcheAge , the island Freedich, in German Freienich, has a special status. Guilds have already settled here and hope to gain a dominant position, but not all servers see their plans succeed.
The Island Freedich in ArcheAge
“What should I do on the island Freienich?”, many might wonder, as they finish the main story quest in ArcheAge and suddenly have to row out into the Arkadian Sea around level 30, 35 to look for an island of which they know nothing but its name. ArcheAge is indeed a sandbox and has some surprises in store.
The island Freedich plays a special role in ArcheAge. It lies in the Arkadian Sea, in a sort of “Bermuda” triangle between the West, East, and the yet-closed Northern continent. Freedich is not the pirate island. That one is in the same area but in the northwest; rather, it is a type of “battlefield,” “freeport,” outpost, fulfilling several design functions.
For example, on it resides Captain Ragnorga, one of the pirate bosses needed for the Black Pearl, there is a Gilda Star merchant, quest NPCs for nautical adventures, and destructible containers with rewards. The island is worthwhile as a zone for merchants, adventurers, and sailors. Surrounding it are three smaller ports that serve as a stopping point for the three factions in ArcheAge (yes, pirates are their own faction) – there is even the possibility to teleport there.
Sounds like a cool dynamic, everyone has the same chance at everything, right? Exactly that is the problem. Because on the island, some houses can be built. As a result, some guilds have gained a permanent advantage that others see as unfair.
Freedich as a Popular Residential Island
At the release of ArcheAge, when many average players still had to familiarize themselves with the basic principles, Freedich was already the coveted target of several top guilds and early starters. Because the tricky part: Houses can be built on the remote island. Not very many, perhaps room for a dozen houses, but they do exist.
So guilds had set a goal during the head start of ArcheAge to take possession of Freienich, this strategically important island. After they placed their houses on the island, they were able to use the recall spell at any time to get there and occupy a lucrative trade route far from the hustle and bustle: Freedich is worthwhile for both the West and the East as a hub for goods through the Gild Star merchant.
On some servers, a guild has taken over the entire island
As can be read on reddit, a strange situation has arisen. On some servers, a killer guild has spread here, controlling trade and ambushing and robbing players who want to exchange their trade pack there. These guilds have positioned a lookout on the island, who gives the signal to log out. Then heavily armed robbers rush out from island houses and rob the group that set out for the trade run.
The nasty thing about it, as one user complains on reddit, is that there is no counterplay against this advantage. It now simply exists for eternity: One guild has all the houses there. That will never change and is an unfair strategic advantage that some have gained purely by chance because they were logged in during the tumultuous head start time, while the rest was stuck in the queue of death.
In the video, you see Freedich as a target for a low-level trade run that is worthwhile through the Gild Star merchant.
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With 1.7, the spook ends – the camping of the campers already helps
On other servers, however, the situation looks different: Here, although a guild has secured all the houses on Freedich, it has messed up its relationship with the rest of the server through its behavior. The other guilds did not find that cool at all and are now camping the houses of the island guild, ruining their fun.
No matter how it is going on the individual servers. With patch 1.7, the spook ends: All houses on Freedich will be closed, and the advantage will no longer exist. However, when the patch, which is currently live in Korea, will come to Europe is not known.
What do you think? Have you been to Freedich, do you have your little house in ArcheAge there? Or are you even tougher and hanging out on the pirate island?
Here is another video that shows Freedich as an ideal place for guild ganks and slaughter:
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In the MMO shooter Destiny, new super farming spots for engrams appear every day. A player has now found a spot in the Rocketyard that promises plenty of loot.
Since Bungie closed the best-known farming spots in Destiny a few days ago, a real race has emerged over who gets to hold the title of “Destiny’s next super farming spot.” We already introduced you the day before yesterday with the Rocketyard, the so-called treasure cave 2.0, which presented itself as an early favorite for the crown in impressive form. But it is certainly not the only candidate for the crown. Other spots also offer lucrative loot and a remarkably fast spawn timer. No one needs to worry that the spots – like in a model search – would suffer from malnutrition. They all seem to be plump and fat.
The “Red Loot Box” spot requires spectacular continuous fire in Destiny
Now another spot has appeared on reddit, referred to by the finder as the “Red Loot Box” spot, practically a place of the red loot box.
This insider tip is also located in the Rocketyard on Earth. The great thing here: there are two mob accesses open, allowing the loot to rush in. First – as with other spots – the area needs to be cleared, meaning pesky remaining spawns need to be eliminated, then you simply stand on the red light box and do it like in the video. Turn left, shoot, look straight ahead, shoot, and eventually collect the loot.
You should probably hurry. These spots are threatened with extinction. By Tuesday morning, they could be a thing of the past in Destiny. Perhaps Bungie will also put a sign on this spot with the red loot box that says “Please do not loot – monsters want to sleep in peace” on it.
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In the MMO shooter Destiny the highest items, the exotic weapons and armor, should be collected. Dismantling them into parts is not worthwhile. They only yield as much as a legendary item, even if they are fully upgraded.
What to do with Used Exotics?
The exotic items in Destiny are coveted. They are stylish, have unique names, are hard to obtain, and pack a punch. However, each Guardian can only carry one exotic weapon and one exotic armor piece. So if there’s a new chest piece, the exotic helmet might have to leave the astral body. And when the karma gods provide a new golden gun, the used gun goes back into the inventory.
Some Guardians wonder: What do I get if I dismantle the exotic items? After all, a legendary weapon yields more than a rare one when I salvage it. And what happens if the item is fully upgraded? Do upgraded exotic weapons and armor yield more than unused Exotics?
The Curiosity is the Exotic’s Doom: What do you get when you dismantle an exotic item in Destiny?
In the English-speaking forum reddit, several Guardians have already made the sacrifice and parted ways with one of their exotic items. The results are disappointing.
Dismantling an exotic item in Destiny yields just as much or little as salvaging a legendary item. This also applies to fully upgraded Exotics.The time and energy invested in them does not translate to better returns when dismantling. Only slightly more Glimmer than a Legendary is brought in by the Exotic. It’s not worth it in Destiny to dismantle the coveted items.
Destiny’s Most Decadent Question: What to do with surplus exotic items?
As stated in the last letter from Bungie, exotic items should really be strong and special and ignite the collecting frenzy of the players. Every Guardian should strive to acquire all exotic items.
Currently, you can get jewels in SMITE completely for free, which otherwise can only be purchased with real money, and until 30.09 you can earn 50 of these gems every day.
For this Sunday, the developers from HI-REZ have come up with something special, as you can grab three times the amount of jewels.
To add the gems to your game account, you just need to win a few games on Sunday – for the first victory of the day, you get a whopping 75 jewels, and for all subsequent first victories (in the other game modes) you get 15 each, making a total of 150 jewels.
Anyone who has been playing diligently since the start of the promotion two weeks ago has been able to earn a total of 800 jewels – which would have cost 12 euros in the shop.
Smite is a free-to-play MOBA where gods from mythology serve as templates for the characters. This extraordinary setting and the action-packed gameplay from a third-person perspective, which resembles more of an MMO, are the pillars of success. The popularity that can be gleaned from gaming trends like Raptr continues to grow. We at Mein MMO have taken a closer look at the MOBA and recently published a review of SMITE.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Kate Welch was a UI designer at the fantasy MMO Guild Wars 2 and somewhat of a spokesperson for the stream show “Point of Interest”. A few weeks ago, she left ArenaNet and now has quite a bit to say to the fans.
It’s not about the business
Kate Welch has left ArenaNet and is now sharing a lot on her mind in a YouTube video. Those hoping for some dirty laundry to be aired will be disappointed. Welch left on good terms, and her words are mostly directed at the players. There were apparently many things she had to endure over the years that she now wants to clarify. Understandably, this is the case for anyone transitioning from a public job, where they had to endure some criticism, back to a private life.
The frequent accusation that the developers are only in it for the money is not true, according to Welch. The people working in the video game industry are there because they love games and want to make players’ lives better. At least, that’s how they started.
Especially in Seattle, there are employers like Microsoft and Amazon who pay significantly more for exactly the same work. And those jobs require the same skills as those in the video game industry. Therefore, Welch asks everyone to consider amidst all the criticism: “Anyone who works here could earn more elsewhere.”
And how it is about the business
In the second point, she sees the individual employees more as cogs in a machine. And the mere talent of an individual doesn’t always play a role. Much lies simply outside of the individual’s control. In some weeks, it’s about increasing customer acquisition, and then everything revolves only around that.
So fans should please refrain from saying things like to a designer: “That icon looks terrible, I could have done better!”
The developer is not always truly responsible for that. The industry is saturated; anyone who lands a job has outperformed many others along the way and already has some skills. Fans might indeed sometimes be able to do it better, but in reality, it doesn’t play as big a role as one believes from the outside. It is still a business once you are in it, and it follows its own laws. It’s hard for an individual to really make a difference.
Welch advises developers to be more transparent
Welch has one more tip for the developers: they should strive for transparency. That is simply the trend today, and the companies that practice it have had great success.
Perhaps a little jab at her former employer ArenaNet. The community of Guild Wars 2 has been calling on ArenaNet for more transparency for some time now. You can enjoy Kate Welch’s video in English in full length afterwards.
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The tank MMO World of Tanks is launching patch 9.3, bringing new light tanks into the game and introducing stricter penalties for players who shine through unauthorized absence.
World of Tanks aims for world domination. It’s coming to more and more systems, conquering more markets, and is now operating on land (World of Tanks), in the air (World of Warplanes), and at sea (World of Warships). Additionally, it’s making waves on Twitch. But that can only happen if players feel comfortable and continuously receive new toys.
With patch 9.3, Wargaming is introducing a series of new light tanks in World of Tanks. What one typically refers to as light in the tank world. These are the models:
Along with some balance changes and the general beautification of tanks (in HD!), there is also an expansion of the map “Murowanka” in World of Tanks from 800×800 to 1000×1000. In the game mode “Fortress”, players can now act as a mercenary, a player without a clan. This idea was probably borrowed from WildStar, as there was something similar planned with the unfortunate Warplots.
The TV series based on the MMO shooter Defiance will also experience a third season on the Syfy channel. The plot is intensifying, the status quo is over, and things are heating up in the MMO as well.
Defiance is not only a free-to-play MMO shooter from Trion Worlds but also a science fiction series on the Canadian Syfy network. And as it goes with series: they tend to get canceled quickly.
Defiance, the MMO, has already emotionally and mentally prepared for this and stated, it can continue to exist even without the series. After all, it mostly has to anyway, since the series is only aired for a few months each year. However, the creators of Defiance would prefer if the series would be continued. Because there, the storyline could be told more intricately and sensitively advanced, while in the MMO they are more responsible for the action.
Good news for all Defiance fans: Syfy has renewed the series, and it is going into the third season.
In the MMO shooter Destiny, a player has now discovered an actually inaccessible area, a fully designed bunker. Could this be the area for the next raid?
Images of a previously inaccessible area in the MMO Destiny have surfaced on reddit. They match a video from the beta a few months ago, when players managed to glitch into a kind of “bunker” and took some great footage there. According to the reddit user, he managed to glitch outside the boundaries of the “Cosmodrome” map and landed in this bunker.
New raid in Destiny could be a bunker – or is it a DLC?
While a US site reported on this and mentioned a “DLC” that could come into the game, others believe that this is “merely” the area for the next raid. Rumors had surfaced just before release that one of the next raids in Destiny could lead to the moon.
In any case, it seems that the terrain is actually already playable and fully designed; now it just needs mobs, but they are already in the game. Some fans are frustrated about why the raid in Destiny isn’t made accessible yet when it appears to be almost complete.
Withholding content is now common practice in MMOs
Mein MMO thinks: In MMORPGs, it has become common for developers to hold back actually playable content at release so that they can deliver it shortly after launch as the first content patch. This has happened in titles like The Elder Scrolls Online and WildStar, for example. As a result, players at the maximum level are not overwhelmed with “too much to do” right away. Of course, fresh and well-developed content creates a good vibe, keeps the game feeling fresh, and generates good press. However, everyone should understand that complex new game content like raids or new zones takes time to develop.
However, one of the major criticisms of Destiny, pointed out by many magazines, is that too much has been removed from the base game to create an incentive for purchasing later DLCs. As a result, the actual game has too many gaps, especially in the storyline.
We will see when the “Bunker Ras-2” finds its way into the live version of Destiny. At the moment, very few have seen the first raid, the Vault of Glass, let alone completed it on the hard difficulty.
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Three weeks have passed, and a new patch for the F2P MOBA “SMITE” is coming, featuring a new god, new skins, voice packs, and some balance changes. Furthermore, the currently heavily criticized matchmaking will be revised, and we have summarized the main changes for you here.
New God: Sylvanus
Sylvanus is a Roman god, a guardian of the forest and nature. He rides a gigantic treant and uses it for most of his abilities. He will likely primarily take on the role of a supporter, as he possesses both healing and crowd control abilities. If you want to get a glimpse of Sylvanus, you can try him on the test server until Sunday.
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The Chinese god “He Bo” is getting a new skin as part of the Odyssey, which can be purchased for 400 gems starting Tuesday – the purchase also includes a free treasure chest. Besides the black and purple look, the “Infinity Wave” also features its own voice pack, which is already causing a stir on the internet with its rather crude double entendre humor.
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Kumbhakarna is also getting a new appearance, the “Pajama Party” skin perfectly fits his rather sleepy demeanor and also comes with a new voice pack.
Lastly, “Hel” is receiving a long-awaited “recolor,” which allows for a new coloring of her original appearance, which can be unlocked with favor or gems. Players have long wished for new variations for this goddess, and it has been promised that “more will come for Hel.”
Furthermore, fans of “Heavy Metal Thor” and of course the new god Sylvanus can look forward to standalone voice packs.
New Matchmaking
The patch will also lay the groundwork for a new matchmaking system – primarily, they want to test the system first. The new tool will improve over time and will need to “learn” to find the best player pairings. It will take several weeks before the system is fully operational, and they ask for your understanding that the matchmaking “will be worse before it gets better.”
Balance Changes
In addition to some minor changes to existing items, the two gods “Kukulkan” and “Mercury” will be nerfed, with Kukulkan’s damage over time from his whirlwind lasting only 2 instead of 3 seconds, and both the range and radius of Mercury’s “Made You Look” will be reduced. Serquet will also be hit by the nerf bat, her cooldown for “Ambush” will be increased from 15 to 17 seconds to take away some of her mobility.
The tank Cabrakan, on the other hand, will be slightly buffed, as the duration of his stun will be increased, and the cooldown of his abilities will be reduced.
You can try all the changes until Sunday on the public test server; if no major bugs are found in the patch, it will likely go live next Monday or Tuesday at the latest. You can view the full patch notes below at the source (in English).
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In the survival MMO H1Z1, weapon expert Jimmy Whisenhunt speaks up in a dev blog. He explains how a weapon from our real world makes it into the zombie apocalypse of H1Z1, what steps it goes through, and what it will feel like for the player to hold that much firepower in their hands.
Jimmy Whisenhunt is a former Counter-Strike pro gamer, and if he knows something, it’s weapons. At Sony Online Entertainment, that’s exactly his specialty: weapons and the combat system. He is also the weapons master for H1Z1. In a blog post, he explains the process of how a weapon from our real world ends up in the zombie apocalypse of H1Z1.
Artists, animators, and the weapons master collaborate
In the first step, 3D artists provide a model based on references from the real world – that is, images or physical objects. This model then goes to the animators, who are responsible for the movements in the game. Now, it’s important to get the moving parts right.
Whisenhunt comes into play at the end of these phases to take a look and provide initial feedback. Thus, Whisenhunt works closely with the animators at the end of the second phase.
In the third phase, he takes the designed and movable model, which is still in a relatively rough state, and brings it into the world of H1Z1 for the first time. Now the third step begins. Very soon, one can see in the game whether the grip position is correct and the angle is okay. It’s also crucial that the weapon responds correctly to all the player’s movements and that there are no issues here.
Real weapons wouldn’t fit H1Z1
In the fourth step, Whisenhunt dives into the details: Excel sheets, trajectories, and ballistics. He almost always starts by ensuring that the weapon’s ballistics behave exactly like in the real world. But that’s never how it goes into the game. Because real weapons and their trajectories wouldn’t work in a game, Whisenhunt emphasizes. And that’s ultimately the most important thing. One does not want to create something just because that’s how it is in reality; rather, the weapons need to feel good and be fun in the zombie world of H1Z1.
The various weapons in H1Z1 will have individual recoil. The combat system is designed so that a weapon doesn’t return to its original position before the shot after firing and recoil. But they are still working on these details of the combat system; players will have ample opportunity to explore it during Early Access.
For the enthusiasts who understand such things, Whisenhunt also brings some technical jargon: In H1Z1, players will opt for a Cylinder of Fire model with high recoil instead of a Cone of Fire model.
In the latest part of Blizzard’s short film series about World of Warcraft, the focus this time is primarily on one of the advisors of the King of the Alliance: the Draenei Maraad.
He was present when the city of Shattrath was attacked by the Orcs, and many Draenei fell victim to the seemingly endless onslaught of the demon-infested greenskins. What exactly distinguishes his fate from that of the other defenders of Shattrath, what burden he must carry for the rest of his life, and why King Varian Wrynn briefly doubts his advisor, you can find out best by watching the video. At the end of the short film, the king calls all heroes of the Alliance – that is, the players – to arms to prepare them for war; the Iron Horde is not far away.
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