In ArcheAge, the head start is just a few hours away. It starts at 7 PM. The last built is now also finished: The laboratory potions have returned to their original value, and Archeum is said to be easier to obtain now.
ArcheAge brings back the old laboratory potions, addressing criticism of P2Win
The patch notes for the final release patch have been published for ArcheAge. The laboratory point potions have reverted to the original value of 300 credits with a 12-hour cooldown. Trion Worlds had already announced that they would try to implement this change, but could not guarantee it. Now we know it has been accomplished.
Additionally, the “Archeum” drop rates are said to have been significantly increased. During the beta, much criticism was directed at these: The low drop rates compared to other versions of the game and two newly introduced cash shop chests from which players could obtain Archeum led to accusations of Pay2Win.
Now monsters are supposed to drop “Loot Bags” more frequently. And from these loot bags, ArcheAge players are expected to obtain “Sunlight Archeum”, “Moonlight Archeum”, and “Starlight Archeum” more often. Also in the loot bags of the mobs: Equipment that can then be converted into Archeum.
Good news for Patrons: They are supposed to be prioritized even more in queues, meaning they will get onto the servers sooner than Free2Play players.
The costumes available for purchase in the cash shop will eventually lose their stats; they are to be purely cosmetic and no longer provide any advantages to players. Trion Worlds and XLGames are currently working on that and a better spam filter.
How are the auction houses related?
Just before the start, it has now become clear which auction houses will form a cluster in ArcheAge, meaning they will be linked together. In Europe, the servers Shatigon and Kyprosa will share an auction house; Eanna and Dahuta the other. In North America, Aranzeb, Naima, and Kyrios are together; also Ollo, Thayang, and Salphia.
A link will lead you to the complete patch notes in English in the sources.
The Crucible, the PvP arena in the MMO Destiny, proves to be robust. The gameplay holds up in a first test to the demands of true Halo pros and FPS masters.
A team of top FPS gamers and YouTubers faced off against a team of Destiny developers from Bungie for the opening. A kind of first endurance test of the “Control” map for esports suitability.
YouTuber “Drift0r” competed alongside five other players against a team of Destiny developers. Beside Drift0r are the Suddoth twins, two Halo pros and gamers, but the Bungie team is better than expected, much better than normal “developer” teams, as Drift0r says.
Most developers are quite okay at their game, but they could not possibly compete on a professional level. Top shooter players who stream all day and work on their skills usually play in a whole different league than developers. The Bungie guys are different.
They utilize their experience and worked as a team. While he and the pro gamers relied on the mobile Hunter and the Warlock and mostly ignored the Titan, the Titan, especially in his Defender subclass, played a key role in Bungie’s strategies. Again and again, the developers would retreat behind the shield to take advantage of the synergy effects the Titan provides them.
The first Destiny match under competitive conditions
In a video on YouTube, Drift0r analyzes Destiny’s suitability for “competitive gameplay,” for ambitious playing with some level of ambition.
His conclusion is rather positive: The game has a good balance, nothing is truly overpowered, it takes many hits to take down an opponent, which makes the game more skill-based. However, 30 FPS is really not his thing, and he notes that the test took place under “optimal conditions” against great opponents and with strong teammates. In good company, he states, everything is just more fun, even a round of Monopoly.
For a first glimpse into what might be the first Destiny match at “top” level, you can watch his video clip:
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There are indeed balance changes coming to Hearthstone. Leeroy Jenkins and the starving Buzzard will become more expensive.
Blizzard confirms balance changes to two Hearthstone cards on September 22nd. They were mistakenly active, then reverted, and are set to return on September 22nd.
This is happening with Leeroy and the Buzzard
Leeroy Jenkins, the feared finisher for 4 mana, will cost 5 mana.
The starving Buzzard, an important part of the currently played Hunter decks, will receive a much more extensive remodeling. The cost will increase from 2 mana to 5 mana. However, its stats will change as well: instead of 2 attack and 1 health as before, it will have 3 attack and 2 health.
Important cards in the current meta-game
Leeroy Jenkins, with its stats of 6/2 for 4 mana cost, is one of the most defining cards in Hearthstone so far. It is primarily used as a finisher, where it can hit multiple times with certain tricks. It is one of the most popular win conditions in numerous decks, a combination of cards that leads to victory under certain conditions. Particularly in the trendiest meta-deck before Naxxramas, the Miracle Rogue, it shone as the finisher of combinations. Leeroy Jenkins regularly appears in best-of videos and his appearances are quite spectacular.
The starving Buzzard, a Hunter class card, is usually used in conjunction with “Release the Hounds”. This combination allows the Hunter to draw a card for each opposing minion on the board. Thus, it was able to offset one of its biggest weaknesses, “Card-Starve”, a situation where a player cannot draw enough cards to maintain their aggression. Since Naxxramas, so-called Mad-Hunter decks have dominated the meta-game and the ladder. Especially against so-called Zoo decks, which flood the board with many small creatures, this combo proved to be too strong.
This is how Blizzard justifies the nerfs in Hearthstone
As Blizzard informs through community manager Christina Sims, Zeriayh, the changes to Leeroy were made to make the game more minion-heavy and thus more fun. Receiving twenty or more damage in a turn from Leeroy in certain combinations is not so fun. Zeriayh mentioned problematic combinations including Faceless Manipulator, Release the Hounds, and Shadowstep.
The number of cards that a Hunter could draw through the starving Buzzard proved to be too strong for the low cost of the card. With higher mana costs, both the Hunter and their opponent would have more time to react to the situation.
The fantasy MMO Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn is flying relatively under the radar in Germany, but it has some fascinating design ideas that would work well in other MMORPGs.
Final Fantasy XIV is overshadowed in Germany among the top MMORPGs. Maybe it’s because Germans have a problem with the Asian look, or maybe it’s because Final Fantasy is more of a console thing, and MMORPGs and consoles haven’t really gone together in Germany. Or maybe it’s because many have already written the game off after a disastrous launch and are only interested in “new things,” not in “it was terrible, got better, is now slowly becoming fantastic.”
About me: I am not a Final Fantasy expert. I heard about the game a while ago, but I was skeptical. I don’t even know why. After Dawid wrote a review of the game that spoke to me, I gave the game a chance over the past three months and have to say: It is a polished MMORPG with great and unusual ideas. It is not perfect, but it is damn good and has some fresh ideas that I would love to see in other MMOs too.
So: What can other MMORPGs learn from Final Fantasy XIV?
1. The recommendation system in dungeons
This is a very logical and simple system: Once the last boss in an instance is defeated, each player can give one of the three companions a “recommendation,” meaning they can choose one of the other three and virtually pat them on the shoulder and say, “I liked you the most of the three.” And when that player gets a shoulder pat 50 times, they can somehow get a teddy bear or some other in-game reward, but what they receive is not really that important. The main thing is that they get something.
This simple system leads to people being nicer to each other. Either that or every unpleasant player runs away screaming after being called “Kupo” eighteen times in the first three minutes by a fat flying Moogle that only they can see. Maybe they do something to the Final Fantasy drinking water, but people are incredibly nice to each other, and I’ve heard that from many.
In the three months I’ve played Final Fantasy XIV, I’ve made mistakes, but I was never yelled at or given passive-aggressive hints about what people think of me; instead, I was simply explained the situation. That such a thing is still possible is just amazing!
The recommendation system seems to be so logical that it should be used in many more MMOs. A similar system has even somewhat normalized the completely crazy community at League of Legends. And for that, someone should be given a statue, or the person who had this idea should be made a special ambassador and sent to the regions that always appear in the news.
A small fix with a big impact: Reward kindness. It helps so much! People are so incredibly nice in Final Fantasy XIV that it would really be mean to be unkind to someone. Amazing.
2. The multi-class system
This is the design decision in Final Fantasy XIV that has fascinated me the most from the very beginning. Even when I read about it, my first thought was: “What?!”
The character’s class is determined by the type of weapon: Pick up a bow, and you are an archer; grab a wand, and you are a mage; take a cooking spoon, and you are a cook. You need to unlock the classes beforehand, but a visit to the trainer is all it takes; it’s not a big deal.
I don’t have to twink, but I have everything on one character. And if I wanted to twink, I could ignore the system and just create twinks. But I don’t have to mule items, I don’t have to log out, I don’t have to be in eight guilds with six different characters, or repeat the starter area twelve times, pretending to be interested in a Tauren druid or anything else. I have my character every time, to whom I slowly develop a connection, until I actually identify with this “main character,” rather than a family of characters where I sometimes play dad, mom, and sometimes the hairy uncle (again Tauren).
This is a design decision that seems kind of “crazy” at first glance and takes some getting used to, but after a while, it appears very logical and natural. One wonders: Why is this so rare? Why am I so limited to a specific class with each character in other games?
Now with Skyforge and ArcheAge – and certainly other games – the trend is moving towards this new system and breaking out of the narrow parameters of classic roles. I think it’s a good thing.
3. No /played in Final Fantasy XIV
You cannot display the /played. I don’t know how it is for you, but I always flinch when it has been said in any game, “What is your /played?” the first thought is: “Oh my God!” and the second: “Yes, but… I was afk most of the time and was doing totally meaningful things!”
In Final Fantasy XIV, this number cannot be displayed. Thank God!
Do you have any ideas about what other MMOs could learn from Final Fantasy XIV or other games? Are there particularly great systems and design ideas in an MMO that you would like to see in other games?
Presumably, everyone is familiar with the issue, even outside of World of Warcraft: After many years, one might not be fully satisfied with the appearance of their main character. Back then, it would have been better to spend a little more time on character creation rather than rushing directly into the world of Azeroth. Those who wanted a different facial shape had to bit the bullet and reach into their real wallet to give their character a makeover.
With the upcoming major patch 6.0, this will now come to an end! In the future, players will be able to change their character’s facial shape for gold at the barber in World of Warcraft!
Source: mmo-champion.com
There is no official explanation for this move yet, but it can be assumed that they want to accommodate players with this change, should they not like their revamped face in “Warlords of Draenor,” as all character models are graphically enhanced there. If someone is unhappy with the new look, they can change it at any barber in the game for a few gold pieces – but don’t ask us when the friendly goblins got retrained as plastic surgeons.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The sandbox MMO ArcheAge is about to launch its Head Start for founders. We have summarized the ten most important things everyone should know when logging in.
1. Never delete a character
Everyone participating in the Head Start is a founder. The founder’s package grants specific bonuses and items depending on its cost. The special items, like the chest, are only available for the first character created. Bonuses apply to the first six. So if someone creates a character, plays for three minutes, and then realizes that they don’t like the walk or that their hair doesn’t look great, or that they are allergic to cats, they should really avoid deleting the character.
2. When does the Head Start for ArcheAge start, when can the rest join the servers?
It starts at 7 PM tomorrow evening, on Friday. Free2Play players will start four days later, on Tuesday, also at 7 PM.
3. Who is eligible to participate in the Head Start and can I still join?
Everyone who has purchased a founder’s package from Trion Worlds is eligible. Anyone wanting to join the Head Start should act quickly. As the nice lady from buffed correctly said in a podcast recently: Experience shows that the publisher’s site crashes at release. Then it will be too late. Theoretically, one could still buy a package a few hours before the release and participate in the Head Start.
If someone buys a founder’s package not for the Head Start but for the other benefits: The packages will later be available as “Starter Packages”. They might be cheaper then, but that’s still uncertain.
4. Choosing a server
ArcheAge is launching with four European servers. They are all the same, there is no “PvE” server or anything else.
There is also no German server, neither officially nor unofficially. An official one was planned, but it seems that did not happen. Unofficially, there were a lot of polls. As the fan site ArcheAge-Online.de reports, nothing came of it. At least there are two unofficial roleplay servers, with the international one being Dahuta and the German one possibly being Eanna.
Perhaps Trion Worlds will launch additional servers at release if the influx is huge and if the waiting times become too long. These “fresh” servers would be a good choice for players without Head Start advantages.
5. Character creation in ArcheAge: Classes and races
ArcheAge features two factions: The ones on the map to the west, Nuia, are more “western” oriented (our medieval/baroque), while the ones in the east, Haranya, are more “far eastern”. The racial advantages are explained via tooltips, but they should balance each other out. You can choose based on personal preferences (no furry gags!).
Otherwise, during character creation, even if it’s hard, take your time and pay special attention to the appearance (if you don’t already have a skin saved from the beta). ArcheAge, as typical for Asian MMOs, has some features we don’t usually see here. For example, you can change the size and position of scars or tattoos. That’s quite nice.
We will try to bring an article about class selection tomorrow during the day. It’s quite complicated: In ArcheAge, there are no “typical” base classes, but everyone can initially choose three from six skill lines, later ten, and thus become one of 120 classes. The initial selection can also be changed relatively easily in the game (however, new skill lines then need to be leveled). Tomorrow we will likely present some of the most popular combinations.
6. What happens to the alpha and beta characters at the Head Start?
Beta characters are deleted, they are gone. Alpha characters are also not playable, but they will likely be saved and might be resurrected on a test server later. The characters that are created now at the Head Start will remain with the players when it also starts for the rest on Tuesday. Otherwise, it would be nonsense.
7. When do I get my stuff from the founder’s package?
It’s planned for the Head Start. Keep an eye on your mailbox.
8. And does the Head Start really start from the beginning?
Yes and no, basically yes, but for a considerable time the northern continent “Auroria” will remain locked. There, guild endgame PvP takes place. They can conquer fortresses there. At Trion Worlds, they say they want to wait until stable structures are in place, until several guilds are ready. In other countries, it took about six weeks for the action to really begin with the PvP continent “Auroria”. This could also happen in Europe.
9. How many characters can I create?
Two. Additional slots can be purchased for 1000 credits. A total of six can be created per region (that is, all of Europe). As I said: Don’t delete any character.
ArcheAge has been playable somewhere in the world for more than two years now (first in Korea, later in Russia). Many gamers here have also been in the alpha for months, learning the game, devising plans for the launch, and forming alliances. Keeping up as a newcomer will likely be almost impossible.
ArcheAge is a complex game, there’s a ton of information on it, with dirty tricks and guides (the tricks are dirty, the guides probably not).
In ArcheAge, knowledge is indeed power. The best thing would probably be, if you are after “power” or “success”, whatever that means, to join a guild with experienced players and slowly grow into the game. Of course, it should primarily be fun.
Anyone generally planning to do their own thing – should perhaps reconsider. In ArcheAge, forming and maintaining social contacts is even more important than in typical theme park MMORPGs.
If you have any questions or tips, please write them in the comments. More about the sandbox MMO can be found on our ArcheAge theme page.
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The success of the MMO shooter Destiny is now receiving congratulations from what is likely the next big franchise – and a challenge.
Activision proudly announced yesterday that it has launched the most successful new franchise in video game history with Destiny. Games worth 500 million US dollars would have already gone on sale on the first day. With Destiny, they are confident that they have launched another billion-dollar franchise and will benefit from it for years to come.
At Gamescom in Cologne, the game “Evolve,” an asymmetrical shooter, made waves. A team of 4 hunters takes on a constantly evolving monster. Many experts attributed immense potential to the game there. And so they are now considering chances to become the next “big thing” in the concert of top games.
And so Evolve proves confidence and humor by making its claims known. With a pic on Twitter and Facebook, they congratulated Bungie on their success and stated that they would definitely take on the role of the hunter. In this case, “hunter” refers both to one of the potential classes in Destiny and, of course, to the role of a pursuer. With Evolve, they want to challenge Destiny for the record of the best launch of a new franchise.
Evolve is developed by Turtle Rock Studios, the team behind Left 4 Dead, and is set to be released in February 2015 for PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In World of Warcraft, you won’t immediately jump into raids or arenas at launch. They will only be available starting December 2nd. This seems to be Blizzard’s way of preventing the stressful race to the new maximum level 100.
This might appeal to him: Try to relax.
Oops, it seems there is a change of heart at Blizzard. The rated battlegrounds and arenas will only start on December 2nd, three weeks after Warlords of Draenor is released. The raids will also kick off on December 2nd. This is to ensure all players have the opportunity to reach the new maximum level of 100 at their own pace. Unrated PvP battlegrounds, skirmishes, and other PvP activities are reportedly immediately available, according to Blizzard. However, the rated season in World of Warcraft will only begin on December 2nd.
On this day, the normal and heroic difficulty levels for the first new raid Highmaul will also open. Players will have to wait longer for the raid finder and mythic difficulty. These will only be released in the following weeks.
World of Warcraft tries to relax
Mein MMO says: Wow, so … we didn’t see this coming. Since most “casual” guilds take quite a while for everyone to recover and decide to play World of Warcraft and raid again, this might not hit them so hard.
What progress guilds have to say is a whole different story. For them, the first weeks of a new expansion are usually the time they really play World of Warcraft. If this is now “stretched out,” it might lose some of its appeal.
For die-hard PvP players, who see leveling to 100 more as a chore than a joy, this change shouldn’t be too terrible.
In World of Warcraft, you actually celebrate your tenth anniversary when it is due, and not when it would fit into the concept.
It was announced a few weeks ago how World of Warcraft would celebrate its tenth anniversary: In a bombastic and retro style. It will head into the Molten Core, for a 40-man retro raid. With a special battleground, they want to revive the charm of the PvP battles for Hillsbrad Foothills. Additionally, there will be a Lava-Corgi as a pet.
Fans have speculated when these events would begin. Wouldn’t it be best to have them before the release of the AddOn Warlords of Draenor? Then players returning to prepare for the new WoW with the pre-patch would have plenty to do. And the most loyal souls, who are enduring a content drought, were certainly craving something new.
Secretly, some had presumably hoped that Blizzard would move the birthday celebration forward. But that is not the case.
Only after the launch of Warlords of Draenor, when there will be plenty to do anyway, will they celebrate the birthday of World of Warcraft with the announced events. The celebrations will take place from November 21 to January 6, 2015.
At the moment, the preparation patch for Warlords of Draenor (the so-called pre-patch) is on the public test server. It is generally expected to go live in early to mid-October. From then on, players will have plenty to do with the new abilities, new skins, and the event, the invasion of the Iron Horde.
In the fantasy MMO The Elder Scrolls Online, the story team from TESO visited reddit. There, they received an abundance of praise.
In the English-speaking forum reddit, AMAs or Q&As are very popular. In these “Ask Me/Us Anything” forum sessions, which last a few hours, stars or experts take the time to answer questions from fans or interested parties. Last night our time, it was the story team’s turn from Zenimax, and – quite unusual for developers – they were almost overwhelmed with praise on reddit.
Sheogorath: This flamboyant NPC is also credited to the TESO writing team.
The fans joked with the developers, almost every question started with a compliment. The writers and designers of Tamriel’s background story seemed open and took a lot of time to answer the fans’ questions. Whether it was the quirky messages of the apprentices or the lengthy in-game books – the fans took the opportunity to thank the authors for all of this. In return, the authors reciprocated to the reddit users: Posts in this particular subforum often made the rounds in their offices and sparked some discussions.
Mein MMO says: No matter how much criticism TESO had to face in the technical area or with gameplay, almost everyone praised the dialogues and storylines; they complimented the world of Tamriel, the attention to detail in the “written” word, and the ear for details. Especially the often tongue-in-cheek approach to side characters and how much there is to discover was highlighted by many.
Especially among active players, the number of lore fans is likely to be significantly higher than the average MMO gamer. Here, The Elder Scrolls Online could occupy a niche and excite people who enjoy reading, discovering details, and following stories in an MMO.
Microsoft has fallen behind in the console war with Sony. The system seller Destiny is now expected to reduce the lead of the Playstation 4 over the XBox One.
System Seller: Titanfall was nothing, now it should be Destiny
Approximately 5 million units of the XBox One have been sold, reports nasdaq.com. In contrast, the Playstation 4 has sold 10 million times. The problems of the XBox One, writes nasdaq, are partly due to the fact that “Titanfall” was not the breakthrough success it was designed to be in March. The shooter for the XBox One sold only 2.1 million copies, too few to become the next Halo.
Destiny, perhaps the biggest launch of the year, is not an exclusive title for either of the two systems, but Sony treats it like one. However, Microsoft does not want to leave the field to its competitor and goes on the offensive with an offer that is impressive. With a $399 bundle of the XBox One and a game, they aim to sell consoles in the US market, even if they do so below manufacturing costs.
Microsoft incurs loss with current bundle
Nasdaq.com cites the results of the company IHS. They estimate that the manufacturing cost for an XBox One without Kinect is $396. With the games that Microsoft includes for free in the bundles and for which they must pay fees to the manufacturers, they are willing to sell the console below the manufacturing price. Microsoft pursues this strategy to expand the customer base, which then buys third-party games on the XBox One (allowing Microsoft to collect licensing fees) or acquires an XBox Gold Pass.
According to Nasdaq, this strategy pays off to some extent, as XBox One owners have purchased an average of 3.3 games for the new console while Playstation 4 owners have bought only 2.6.
As Nasdaq suggests, in the war between the two console giants, the gamers are the real winners, as both Sony and Microsoft compete fiercely for their favor with strong offers and discounts.
Players in Europe also benefit from the price war of the giants
Amazon.de currently offers the Xbox One bundle with Destiny for 399 Euros. You can find the promotion, which ends on September 23rd, here.
In the US market, the price war is particularly fierce. But even here in Europe, Microsoft is using Destiny to sell consoles. The current MMO shooter Destiny is currently available in a bundle with the XBox One at Amazon for 399 Euros. The promotion runs until September 23rd or while supplies last.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Destiny, a curious trick is making the rounds: If you have emptied your weapon and do absolutely nothing, you receive bonus ammunition in the magazine.
As kotaku.uk reports, a trick from the beta still works. There’s little to do, you just have to completely empty the weapon and then stand still for a few seconds until the ammunition fairy flies in and refills the magazine. (Of course, the fairy is invisible.)
Kotaku advises using this trick when you are running low on bullets and then picking up scattered ammunition packs. If you don’t believe in the wondrous ammunition multiplication: In a video, you can see the ammunition fairy at work. Or not … it’s invisible after all.
Starting today, access to the two WildStar raid instances has been slightly simplified, though that might be an exaggeration. At least it’s faster, the biggest time wasters have been somewhat contained.
For one step of the questline, you previously had to kill all world bosses – but only after accepting the quest. If you had already sent the big opponents to the afterlife during the leveling phase, this was not counted; from now on, the game will retroactively count those kills.
Silver medals are no longer required for raid access.
The required amount of primal patterns per player is also reduced, namely to a third – where previously you had to collect 300, now only 100 per person is sufficient. As mentioned earlier, the dungeon step in WildStar has also been simplified, with a bronze medal per instance being sufficient to complete this stage. But even complete latecomers can rejoice, as “Ohmna”, the boss of the Genarchive, will soon drop an item that allows you to skip the entire prequest, and this item is tradeable!
Those who have overcome the torments of the access quest in its old state will be rewarded with an achievement in the next major patch, as a reminder and honor for the work done.
Looking Ahead and Many Changes
Warbases are currently unfortunately not utilized. That should change soon.
The developers have also looked into the future plans of WildStar, such as making the PvP sign-up a bit more attractive, as many players completely ignore this part of the game. The second area of concern, the warbases (also PvP), is also scheduled to undergo some changes soon to attract more players to the cheerful skirmish; however, more details will be revealed soon.
Future content patches will no longer focus on the theme of war between Dominion and Exiles, instead, they want to advance the other stories in the game (like Drusera and the entity).
Additionally, questing in a group will receive some improvements, as currently, some tasks have to be done multiple times depending on how many group members you have – thus, playing with friends is currently often a frustrating time sink instead of an enjoyable enhancement.
Regarding other points, unfortunately, no binding statements were made; the developers are aware of the issues with 40-man raids (currently there are 7 raid groups in the data zone worldwide, around 150 in the smaller Genarchive), but they still want to continue providing content for this number of players in the future. We will keep you updated as soon as there are new developments.
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The free-to-play martial arts MMO Swordsman Online is getting its first expansion.
In a interview a few weeks ago it hinted: Swordsman Online will receive its first expansion “Gilded Wastelands” this fall. The level cap will increase to 94 and new zones will be added to the world of the Wuxia spectacle. Since these regions mainly consist of deserts, some “It’s about to get wild” word plays come to mind, which we would like to spare you.
In addition to the new zones, the publisher Perfect World promises in a press release that new instances and items will also make their way into the game. They want to revise the companion system in Swordsman Online and the leveling experience should also become more enjoyable.
If you are interested in the game, you can find out more about Swordsman Online on our topic page.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The Magic: The Gathering expert Brian Kibler suggested in an interview that Hearthstone tournaments at the highest level should resemble the game played by gamers at home more closely.
Brian Kibler is truly no stranger in the trading card scene. He made a name for himself in Magic: The Gathering, later designing their trading card game for Blizzard, and he has also dealt intensively with Hearthstone. In an interview with gosugamers, he provides a fresh outside perspective on the game.
He particularly reflected on the current tournament format of Hearthstone. Here, players can often agree in advance to ban a certain class. This leads to unusual circumstances that have little to do with the normal game that the viewers know. For instance, in tournaments, decks like Handlock can be incredibly strong because their natural enemy, the Hunter, is banned. Players see these tournaments, decide to try out Handlock, and experience a rude awakening in ladder play when they encounter the first Hunters.
Additionally, the current tournament rules often require a player to bring three decks. This can also be problematic for Hearthstone players starting out in tournaments. He himself had to sit down before his first tournament and level a third class to level 10 just to receive the necessary card for his last deck.
Kibler can transfer many of his experiences from Magic: The Gathering days to Hearthstone. Thus, it is easy for him to make some calculations in his head when he sees the board to decide on the right move. However, matches that are not decided on the board but rather in the opponent’s hand are more difficult for him. He lacks the specific Hearthstone experience against decks like Miracle Rogue or Handlock to predict the opponent’s moves.
In contrast to Magic, Hearthstone is significantly simpler. This brings both advantages and disadvantages. It is much more difficult for beginners to get into Magic than into Hearthstone, which greatly benefits from being developed for the digital medium from the start. However, Hearthstone cannot keep up with Magic in complexity, and the arena mode can become somewhat boring over time.
Kibler particularly likes the new Naxxramas cards, especially the Deathrattle for his Priest. He appreciates cards that allow certain classes to be played “against the grain” and discover new synergies.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The PvP mode, the Crucible, in the new MMO Destiny presents some players with puzzles. Why are there no marks, when are there marks and what can they be used for? These are currently some of the most frequently asked questions about Destiny.
From the search queries on our site, it is clear: Many fans still don’t quite know what to do with the rewards for the Crucible, the PvP mode in Destiny.
The marks that exist there and can be exchanged for items with the faction vendors, are only available starting from level 18. However, you can start collecting reputation earlier.
Starting from level 18, you will finally receive, instead of just two and one as in the beta, three marks for a win and two marks for a loss. These changes, which is why they are so confusing, were introduced only with the Day-One patch. You can collect a maximum of 100 Crucible marks. That is the cap.
The Elder Scrolls Online, WildStar, Hearthstone, Final Fantasy XIV and 5 other games are nominated for the Online category at the Golden Joystick.
The video game magazine “Computerandvideogames” has been awarding the Golden Joystick in various categories since 1983. According to its own statements, it’s a kind of Oscar of the gaming industry, but naturally many awards are competing for this title. It is at least the oldest award given in the industry and has quite a reputation.
Classic MMORPGs in the minority – MMOs dominate
This year, the new Pay2Play MMORPGs The Elder Scrolls Online and WildStar are nominated in the “Online Games” category. Additionally, there is a classic MMORPG with Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn among the participants. The trio faces competition from more action-oriented online games like Grand Theft Auto Online and DayZ.
Moreover, the nomination clearly reflects the influence of another current trend: Wargaming is nominated with World of Warplanes and the Xbox 360 edition of World of Tanks. Gaijin is sending War Thunder, Wargaming’s major competitor, into the race.
The likely favorite is the online card game Hearthstone, the surprise hit from Blizzard that was perhaps not so surprising after all. It is also the only title among the nine online contenders that has been nominated for the “Best Game” category.
Previous winners in the “Online Game” or “MMO of the Year” category: World of Tanks (2013/2012), World of Warcraft (2011), League of Legends (2010), Left4Dead (2009).
Who is your favorite among the selected games or is your MMO of the year not included?
The MMO Destiny has sold games worth 500 million dollars to shops and partners. It is set to surpass the highest expectations that Activision Blizzard has set for the new billion-dollar franchise.
As eurogamer reports, games worth 500 million US dollars were shipped worldwide on the first day. How many games were actually sold and what the profit looks like is hard to ascertain from this figure. By “sold”, Activision means “delivered to partners and shops”, not to the end consumer. It currently looks like many fans purchased the game through the Xbox Store or the Playstation Store. However, the over 11,000 worldwide midnight sales likely sold some units as well.
The head of Activision Blizzard, Bobby Kotick, speaks of “extraordinary demand from fans”.
Furthermore, they now claim the title of the largest launch of a new franchise in video game history. The title was previously held by Ubisoft with Watch Dogs and reportedly 4 million units sold in the first week.
Destiny as the next billion-dollar brand and simply as a “great game”
Eric Hirshberg from Activision added: “From the very beginning, we were confident that our belief and commitment to Destiny would pay off. But few would have expected it to do so on the very first day.” The reported development costs for the MMO Destiny also amounted to 500 million dollars.
More than ever before, Hirshberg continued, they are convinced that Destiny could become the next billion-dollar franchise in their stable and has what it takes to rise to one of the most important series of the generation. But even more importantly, Bungie has created a great game with Destiny that you can’t keep your hands off.
Analyst: Destiny could sell 20 million units, reach “Call of Duty” level
Other media are meanwhile reporting on the sales success of Destiny. Gamespot has spoken with an analyst who is giving investors a “thumbs up” signal. According to analyst Arvind Bhatia, his firm now has even more confidence than before that Destiny could achieve sales of 15 million units. Now it is even considered possible that Destiny could achieve “20 million units sold” when everything is said and done. This would correspond to a level normally reached only by titles like “Call of Duty”. Bhatia came to this assessment after consulting with Activision and various retailers.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The new Flashpoint “Rakata Prime” has been released today and can be accessed on the live servers of Star Wars: The Old Republic, leading the “forged alliances” storyline to its finale.
On the mysterious jungle planet, which was also the main world of the legendary Rakata, it will be your task to uncover the truth behind the legendary “Starmap” – it siphons energy from a nearby star and transforms it into something – what exactly that is, you will have to find out for yourself! As with previous updates, you will again be accompanied by the Wookiee smuggler Jakarro and his translator droid to assist you with advice and actions (and a bit of cheekiness) during the assault on the temple site.
Galactic Strongholds coming soon for preferred players
Starting next Tuesday, September 16, all players with preferred status in Star Wars: The Old Republic will also gain access to the game’s housing feature, the “Galactic Strongholds”. Free2Play players will have to wait another month – they will be able to take possession of their homes only on October 14.
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Lastly, it has been revealed in the official forum of Star Wars: The Old Republic that the first teasers for the major Patch 3.0 will appear within the next week and a complete announcement with all the new features is expected by the end of the month – we will keep you updated as soon as new information is available.
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The MMO shooter Destiny affects the sales of the next-gen consoles. In the UK, one million units of the PlayStation 4 have now been sold.
In an interview with digitalspy, Fergal Gara, the Sony boss in the United Kingdom, discusses the impact that the shooter Destiny has on PlayStation 4 sales: In recent weeks, it has slowed them down a bit, but now it has led to an explosion.
In the past two weeks, the sales of the console had noticeably cooled down, according to Gara, as many were waiting for the release of Destiny, especially the attractive bundle: Many fans likely did not want to miss out on the new “white PlayStation 4” with Destiny included and were willing to wait until the last moment for the release of the package.
Now, with the delivery of the white PlayStation 4 bundle and the numerous orders coming in on Tuesday morning, the milestone of one million has been reached.
Amazon in Germany also offers attractive bundles that will surely stimulate purchases as well. Destiny is offered in a bundle either with an Xbox One or a PlayStation 4 for 399 Euros. The white bundle is currently available exclusively from one retailer, but it is expected to be available in regular retail later.
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