Guild Wars 2: Trading Post is being revamped

Cortyn Cortyn Reading time 2 minutes

On September 9th, it’s finally here, the long-awaited feature patch for Guild Wars 2 will be released to the players. In recent days, we have already discussed the biggest changes, today the developers once again focused on their special favorite: the revamped trading post.

The mass makes it – especially confusing

In recent years, various patches and small expansions have introduced more and more new items into the game, so even with the current filter options, you can spend minutes searching for the exact item you actually want. New filters allow for a more precise search, and for each item suggested, you can review the relevant search details again, so it is always clear why something appears or does not appear in the list.

Bag full – Turn it into money!

Guild Wars 2 Trading Post

Players are encouraged to use the trading post more frequently. Since it is not a “traditional” auction house, as known from other MMOs, the developers feared that it could frighten players away – for this reason, the usage should be as simple as possible. An important step on this agenda is accessibility: From now on, you can sell items at the trading post from anywhere in Tyria. Only a few items should still end up with the NPC vendor after the introduction of this system, as fellow players generally pay a higher price.

More clarity about the fees

One criticism of the old system was that the total fees charged by the auction house were not displayed, as the seller is charged twice – once when listing the item, and again when the trade is completed. Both fees are now clearly visible, so every aspiring master trader can see at a glance what their potential profit is once the item has been sold.

Faster interface thanks to new programming

Guild Wars 2 Trading Post

It is admitted that the original trading post was programmed under time pressure and by a much too small team. Therefore, during the complete overhaul, care was taken to address all player complaints as well.

A major criticism was the long loading times when switching between different tabs and search queries. To spare you the technical details: The new trading post loads significantly faster and in the future it will be easier for developers to address bugs and expansions than it was with the old version.

If you want to see the countless changes for yourself, you can test them in Guild Wars 2 starting Tuesday. We have already introduced several new features that will be included in the upcoming feature patch:

The mass of changes is long, both for newcomers and veterans, it is worth taking another look.

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Destiny: Bungie touches fans with a strong gesture

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The luxury MMO Destiny is approaching the finish line. The developers at Bungie want to celebrate with the fans and are commemorating the upcoming release with a traditional image.

At Bungie, they uphold tradition and are even willing to climb on quite shaky-looking ladders for it. This became clear in a recent tweet. Someone had to climb to the highest rungs of a ladder to attach the “Destiny” plaque. There it hangs in a semicircle above other games that Bungie looks back on with pride, including the Halo titles and the Myth series.

The fans are visibly delighted by such a moment and are sharing their fondest memories of the titles on reddit and twitter. Gamers and developers can be a little sentimental too. It feels good to be part of something bigger.

The list of games is, according to our research, hanging in front of the Bungie office building in Bellevue, Washington. In 2012, a company was hired to immortalize the history of the renowned gaming studio there. Now, with Destiny, another title is being added. It is surely no coincidence that Destiny’s position at the top has been chosen. And besides – there was just enough space.

Bungie wants to celebrate the release of Destiny with the community

On the day before the release, they invite fans directly to the place where the magic happens: The headquarters in Bellevue, Washington, USA.

The first 300, they say, will have a good chance for a complete tour of the studio. 1000 others, Bungie promises, will not have to go home empty-handed either. They promise excitement, games, and fun, but no mention of chocolate.

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Source(s):
  1. bungie.net: Celebrating the Destiny Community
  2. studio3signs.com (Recherche: Bürogebäude von Bungie in Bellevue)

WildStar: The next content patch brings a large solo instance

Cortyn Cortyn Reading time 2 minutes

A lot is already known about the next big content patch of WildStar, such as the new zone “Defile”, which can currently be tested on the test realm. However, the first insights into the solo instance “OMNIKern” are relatively new.

What is the OMNIKern?

All fans of the background story can do little jumps of joy, as the OMNIKern, also referred to internally as “Drusera Instance 6”, continues the story of the ghostly woman Drusera, the entity, and the Eldan. Many small secrets are set to be revealed, and in the end, there should even be a narrative climax waiting.

WildStar Omnicore

Unlike the previous 5 solo instances, the OMNIKern is significantly longer and can be entered anew every day, allowing you to earn the rewards multiple times. Also new is that the Core does not run linearly – just like in the adventures, you can make decisions that significantly influence the course of this instance. In addition to entertaining battles, there will also be puzzles and jumping sections that you must master if you ultimately want to hold the rewards in your hands.

Among other things, the story of this instance also leads into the data zone, the 40-man raid – but don’t worry, of course, you won’t find the usual bosses waiting for you there; instead, you must help some NPCs and engage extensively with the story, which, as always, can be ignored if you’re not interested.

The developers of WildStar are particularly proud of this instance because it is, in the truest sense, “how they envisioned solo content in WildStar”. The OMNIKern is available after you have completed the new area “Defile”, but there is still no release date for the update (Content Drop 3); they only settle for the (incredibly terrible for fans) statement: “It’s done when it’s done.”.

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Destiny: The mysterious teaser announced a trailer

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In Destiny, the mystery behind the cryptic announcement has now been revealed: It is another trailer for the luxury MMO.

There has been much speculation, since a 9-second video was uploaded 20 hours ago, as seen in a Netzwelt article that barely showed more than 3 frames and promised a “Coming soon”. Gaming journalists referred to it as a “mysterious teaser”. There was talk of an early launch date or the announcement of the most important DLCs. Perhaps that was a bit of an overestimate in hindsight.

No, Destiny is delivering another trailer, this time “Live-Action”, meaning with real actors. Well, and actually the thing is so good that one shouldn’t be too disappointed that it is nothing more than “just” a trailer. It is a damn good one.

Recently, Blizzard was a bit taken to task, for announcing a release date for disclosing a release date. A teaser to announce a trailer is hardly different.

By the way, the music, according to polygon, is Led Zeppelin – Immigrant Song.

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The MMO Shooter Destiny will be released on September 9 for the XBox 360, XBox One, Playstation 3, and Playstation 4. Confirmation of a PC version is still pending. Some actually expected this due to the 9-second teaser.

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World of Tanks Blitz kommt in paar Wochen für Android

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time < 1 minutes

World of Tanks Blitz is now available on Android after iOS. Android players will also be able to face off against their iOS counterparts with their tanks.

It has been and remains the stated strategy of Wargaming: They want to bring their flagship tank World of Tanks to as many platforms as possible. After PC and Xbox 360, iOS was included, receiving a portable version of the Free2Play MMO hit with Blitz. Now, their next target is the Android operating system.

In the coming weeks, it will hit the Google Play Store. The catch: With a cross-platform feature, playing with iOS gamers is possible.

Recently, Wargaming announced that the three “World of” games, World of Tanks, World of Warplanes, and World of Warships together have surpassed the 100 million mark across all platforms. Apparently, they are far from finished.

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Source(s):
  1. ww.pocketgamer.co.uk
  2. news.mmosite.com

ArcheAge under DDOS attack, open beta is scheduled to take place

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time < 1 minutes

The servers of Trion Worlds are victims of a DDOS attack. The launch of the Open Beta of the sandbox MMO ArcheAge is expected to remain unaffected.

According to the community manager “Ocho”, the servers of Trion Worlds became victims of a Denial-of-Service attack (DDOS) overnight (US time). This was communicated by the night shift at Trion Worlds. At the moment, they are working with partners and authorities to ensure that the servers continue to run and that those responsible are apprehended.

The live games of Trion Worlds (e.g. Rift, Defiance) are online and running. They also intend to proceed with the launch of the open beta of ArcheAge. However, during the DDOS attacks, it is possible that the servers may become unstable and that the website may go down. Additionally, players may need to authenticate more frequently.

The Open Beta of ArcheAge is expected to begin in these minutes (Thursday, 7 PM our time) and will last until Monday.

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Source(s):
  1. Statement
  2. Massively

Neverwinter sells strictly limited companions at auction

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time < 1 minutes

The fantasy MMO Neverwinter is auctioning a strictly limited pet and hopes that players will bid against each other.

What are the super-rich supposed to buy with their money and how do you take the in-game currency away from them? In Neverwinter, they have come up with something: They are auctioning the pet edition of Sergeant Knox, a prominent NPC.

The catch: There will only be five of them. This means only five players will be able to acquire him and secure his services. This ensures that the wealthy will have to dip into their reserves, as massively suspected. Because no matter how rich you are, how much you ultimately have to spend for this privilege, it is determined by the other super-rich on the server.

The auction starts on Thursday, September 11, at 7 PM. It ends on Sunday, December 14, at the same time. Similar experiments to extract currency from the game by having players bid against each other for prestige items have been undertaken by Blizzard, including the black market auction house in World of Warcraft.

More about Neverwinter can be found on our thematic page.

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Source(s):
  1. Neverwinter
  2. Massively

Guild Wars 2: September patch brings collector achievements and rewards

Cortyn Cortyn Reading time 2 minutes

Another day, another time with plenty of information about the upcoming feature patch for Guild Wars 2. This time, the focus is mainly on a new subcategory of achievements, namely the item collections.

The World Needs New Achievements

Almost all types of items in the game now have their own achievements, which you can now view under the category “Item Collections”. At first glance, this category may seem a bit empty, but that’s because a large portion of the collections are hidden and will only become visible once you have discovered at least one piece of the respective collection. Completing the new achievements will not only reward you with achievement points, but also many useful and stylish items can find their way into your inventory through this. Some recipes and cosmetic adjustments will even only be available through these achievements, such as the new “Ghost Artisan Backpack”.

Types of Unlocking

Guild Wars 2 Unlocks

In total, there are three different ways you can unlock collections and make them visible. For consumable items, such as food, it is completely sufficient to consume them once. The “Base Sets” are directly viewable so that your achievement menu doesn’t look completely empty if you are a newcomer. The last category of collections is unlocked by discovering an item; when you occasionally visit dungeons, they will eventually appear on their own.

Armor items that can still be sold at the trading post must first be soulbound before they can be added to your collection – they shouldn’t just be passed around.

Retroactive Credit? Many, not all.

All items that you once had and are currently linked to an achievement will be retroactively credited to your collection; the same applies if the item is still in your possession – veterans will likely achieve a lot of collection achievements upon their first login. However, you will not be credited for already consumed consumables and items that are no longer in your possession and do not have an achievement – these must be found anew.

Guild Wars 2 Rewards

Goodbye, Collection Overview

Finally, some commands in the game have been renamed; what used to be “Store All Collectibles” will now be “Store All Materials”, as the collection overview disappears (because the minis are missing, for example) and simply becomes your materials storage for crafting components. The developers apologize in advance for the confusion this may cause.

You can find the entire developer post as usual in our sources.

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Source(s):
  1. www.guildwars2.com/de

Black Desert: Fishing, Angling, Trolling, Woodcutting

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The Korean MMO Black Desert, planned for release in early 2016 in our region, has released another trailer.

Black Desert is in the trailer business. A few days ago there was a Russian one, now the South Koreans are following suit. The third closed beta phase starts on September 17.

This time, the trailer showcases everything that can be resolved without sword, arrow, and axe: crafting. Although, for chopping wood, you do need an axe, right?

The sandbox MMO Black Desert is developed by Pearl Abyss and published in South Korea by Daum. Daum will also take over the release of the Free2Play MMO in Europe and North America.

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  2. Massively

ArcheAge: Founders do not have an advantage through headstart on all servers

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 3 minutes

The discussion about the sandbox MMO ArcheAge is currently ignited by a sensitive topic. Is the head start perhaps not worth as much as some think?

This is a topic with explosive potential that MMOs have been contemplating for quite some time, described by the term “Pay2Win.” What advantages do we offer? How much money do we charge for them? One method of distributing privileges to players who pay for them is the head start. This is now sparking a dispute in ArcheAge. Should it ultimately not be worth as much as assumed?

What is a head start and why is it there?

ArcheAge

Nowadays, it is common for players to be allowed into the game before the actual release. This is called a “head start.” Three to five days before it opens for the general public, who have only purchased a standard edition, owners of a “special” edition or pre-order customers or otherwise privileged ones can already secure the server.

This is not particularly tragic for a “normal” theme park MMO. Who is the first to reach the maximum level is usually not too important. Sure, people with a head start might find a less crowded quest area and therefore have an easier time progressing, but that is generally not too bad for others.

For the publisher, a head start has two advantages: On one hand, money (the privilege is usually sold at a high price), and on the other, there is not an overwhelming rush to the servers at the exact moment but rather it is spread out over two dates – or, in the case of The Elder Scrolls Online, even three. There, they gave pre-order customers a three-day lead, buyers of a special edition even five.

And why is the topic so critical for ArcheAge?

While hardly anyone complained about the head start in The Elder Scrolls Online or WildStar, the situation in ArcheAge is somewhat different. This is because in ArcheAge, players are in stronger competition with each other than in TESO or WildStar.

ArcheAge Farming

Here, “building lots” are limited. Especially the best spots, which stand out due to their ideal location, are highly coveted.

In addition, the game features open-world PvP. This means that whoever gains a special advantage in the first 4 days – and this will certainly happen – can benefit from this advantage for a long time.

There are already extensive reports about guilds preparing for the server launch strategically. They plan to plant, protect, and chop down 2000 trees in secret locations to craft the first boats, thus dominating trade and relieving others of their savings.

You can imagine how it would turn out for players who arrive in ArcheAge four days late. One might say that we could be talking about wolves and lambs here.

And is this not working out now?

ArcheAge Pirate Ships

The excitement among some owners of a founder’s package (which grants a 4-day head start in ArcheAge) now comes from the fact that Trion Worlds announced they would not start with all servers at the head start. They reserve the right, should the interest be significant enough, to bring servers online at the actual release on September 16. This means that these would be “virgin servers” on which no one has an advantage, as they would start only on September 16 and not four days earlier.

This implies, conversely, that the number of “disadvantaged” players, who start four days later than the “hardcore gamers,” could decrease on the servers that are already online at the head start.

And that would diminish the “head start advantage” that many “wolves” were hoping for.

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Source(s):
  1. forums.archeagegame.com

Destiny: Fans build Raid Finder themselves

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 3 minutes

With the upcoming luxury MMO Destiny, fans are now closing a feature gap: Players willing to raid can find friends through an external site.

The MMO shooter Destiny launches with a six-person raid – more will follow through DLCs. Six people – that is a size typical for normal group instances in other games, but in Destiny they are raids. Challenging raids even in two difficulty levels.

No Group Finder in Destiny

However, there is no “matchmaking” or “group finder” system in Destiny – as in other MMOs. With such a system, players registering for an instance in World of Warcraft or WildStar are automatically placed in a group. The system ensures that the classes complement each other, meaning there is a healer and a tank present.

Destiny Robot

That is not the case in Destiny. Here, you need to have friends on your friends list and can arrange a proper shootout with them in the raid instance on Venus. Perhaps Bungie wants to prevent strangers from turning against each other when things don’t go well. After all, the raids are supposed to be intense.

In a test run, they sent off four teams of six shooter players each to tackle a raid. No team succeeded. One even disbanded, apparently overwhelmed by the MMO requirements, and decided to play more shooters instead.

In Destiny, you need friends to raid, and you can now find them on the Internet

Not everyone is okay with this; not everyone has real-life friends with a PlayStation or Xbox of the same generation, and a Halo love that results in a Destiny purchase. As Forbes reports, fans have now created a remedy for this. On the website thatwizardcamefromthemoon.com, named after the Dinklage voiceover meme, players can find raid friends.

On this page, you enter your class (there are three to start), your time zone, and the console you are playing on. The search on the site is supposed to output suitable players. The site operator reports that three days after the platform’s launch, already 500 Destiny players have registered on the site. And after Forbes, Kotaku, and probably within twelve hours 40 other sites have reported on this, this number should significantly increase in the days leading up to the release.

Destiny

Perhaps, some speculate, Bungie will eventually integrate some kind of raid finder into the game itself. However, that would devalue the work of the dedicated creators behind That Wizard Came from the Moon.

As an MMO site, it should be noted that the idea of such an external site isn’t entirely new. Communities from other MMOs have found such solutions in the past. Even in World of Warcraft, which is actually well-covered in terms of raid finders, there are external sites where players can find and arrange for more exotic raids.

Update 20.12.: It has now been three and a half months since the release of Destiny, sites have come and gone, and community alternatives to raid finders have emerged. We have revisited the topic “How do I find a group for the raid in Destiny” on mein-mmo: Destiny Raidfinder: How to find German-speaking players for Raid, Nightfall, Weekly.

Destiny is an MMO shooter developed with enormous effort by Bungie. It is set to release on September 9 for PS3 and PS4, as well as for Xbox 360 and Xbox One. A PC version is likely, but not yet confirmed.

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Source(s):
  1. Forbes

Hearthstone: Hacker might ruin Hearthstone, but he doesn’t.

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 2 minutes

Blizzard’s free card game Hearthstone is cracked. Luckily, the culprit is one of the good guys.

Elie Bursztein is one of the leading members of Google’s Anti-Abuse Team (kind of like Google’s police) and is apparently also a top-notch hacker and an avid Hearthstone fan. Together with his wife Celine, he created a tool that would practically ruin Hearthstone because it takes the thinking out of the game for players. However, he refrained from releasing it because Blizzard was able to make him understand the consequences of his actions: Bursztein’s intellectual work would ruin the enjoyment of millions of players.

The tool could, among other things, provide a quite precise prediction of what the opponent will play in the next round. And it would then display this to the user of the tool. Such a live-analysis tool would – as anyone can imagine – be a huge advantage for the user. It would probably take Blizzard’s card game by storm and harm Hearthstone in the long run. It would be a bit like every player having their own chess computer in their pocket. And since Bursztein apparently still intended to refine the project further, it would have become tricky in the foreseeable future.

And Blizzard is like: Yeah, great job, but kind of dumb for Hearthstone, right?

The Burszteins, Elie and Celine, presented their program – with a noticeable French accent – then in English to hacker colleagues at Defcon 22 in Las Vegas, a kind of hacker convention. There or shortly thereafter, they were approached by Blizzard employees. They were, according to Elie Bursztein, enthusiastic about the work but convinced the top hacker not to release the tool because it would ruin the game.

Despite the time he and his wife invested in the program, Bursztein therefore wants to keep the program to himself.

There exists a video of the 42 minutes in which Bursztein presents his work on the program, most of which revolves around formulas, logic, and considerations to make the game explainable, and has very little to do with any exciting hacking actions:

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World of Warcraft: Free for new players?

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 2 minutes

In Blizzard’s MMO World of Warcraft, there is a page circulating that promises new players to access the game for free until September 26.

Even one of the largest Warcraft sites in the world, joystiq.com, reported it last night: World of Warcraft is said to be available for free to any new player who wants it via the Battle.net app. A link leads to a page associated with Blizzard. Here it is stated that World of Warcraft will be free to explore until September 26. At the moment, anyone can already do that, but only up to level 20. The website suggests that this is now coming to an end and that the maximum level can be significantly higher. The current game, without the two still paid expansions, includes the base game, the expansions “The Burning Crusade”, “Wrath of the Lich King”, and “Cataclysm” – the maximum level is therefore 85.

World of Warcraft

Unfortunately, there is still no information from Blizzard about the story, and the – as far as we could ascertain – first site that reported on it has since deleted the news post. However, with the largest international gaming sites starting to report on it now, it seems either there is something to it and someone found the page before Blizzard could explain and promote it, or it is some kind of prank.

Either way, we will likely know more soon.

A free promotion like this is not entirely unlikely. The Starter Edition usually costs 15 euros but has been reduced to 5 euros several times. It is conceivable that Blizzard saves on this and simply gives away the game for free – in digital times, this is no problem – hoping that after the free month, players would stick around and purchase the two missing expansions, Mists of Pandaria and Warlords of Draenor, at a discounted price. Statements from World of Warcraft’s lead designer, Tom Chilton, that expansions present a barrier for new players, have recently pointed in a similar direction.

Update 9:40: Ah, okay. Blizzard has now commented on this. This website is part of a promotional campaign aimed at enticing players of other Blizzard games to try World of Warcraft. This is not an offer that you can accept on your own; it has to be made to you by Blizzard.

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Source(s):
  1. wow.joystiq.com
  2. media.blizzard.com

Hearthstone: Card back for September is pirate-themed

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time < 1 minutes

In Blizzard’s free card game Hearthstone, there is a new card back to earn every season. The one for September follows a pirate theme.

Until rank 20, the Hearthstone player must progress to earn the right to wear the respective card back of the season. A season always runs from the first to the last of a month. For the sixth season in Hearthstone, Blizzard has come up with something special and surprises with a pirate card back.

So, those who reach rank 20, which is not too difficult, can call this stylish back their own at the beginning of the next month.

Hearthstone Pirate Card Back
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Source(s):
  1. us.battle.net/hearthstone

The Elder Scrolls Online: Layoffs

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 2 minutes

The company Zenimax, which is behind the fantasy MMO The Elder Scrolls Online, has laid off employees who were directly involved in the development of TESO.

After the launch, fewer employees are needed

In response to Gameinformer, Bethesda stated that Zenimax Online has laid off employees who were involved in the launch of The Elder Scrolls Online, either as developers or in customer service. On Twitter, rumors of layoffs at Zenimax had already circulated.

In an email, they informed the online magazine that this is part of the normal process for such games. They needed a large workforce for development and an expanded support team to handle all the inquiries they expected after the launch. Now, after half a year, the game is running smoothly, and the community has flourished. Therefore, they have adjusted the size of the team to current needs. However, the workforce is still large.

Development of The Elder Scrolls Online reportedly unaffected

Bethesda assures that the ongoing operation and development of The Elder Scrolls Online are not endangered or restricted by this. They continue to invest heavily in the development of TESO, are committed to the game, and are “committed.” They are continuing to develop content for PC, working on the implementation of The Elder Scrolls Online for consoles, and planning to expand into important international regions for the company.

At this moment, nothing is known about the scale of the layoffs. On Twitter, some industry insiders spoke of “large layoffs,” which could be translated as mass layoffs. Colleagues expressed their sympathy on Twitter or even offered job opportunities – as is customary in the industry. Bethesda’s need to confirm the layoffs to several gaming magazines (including joystiq) suggests that this is not just a few employees, but rather a larger number of staff.

Already in June, reports emerged that 300 employees on fixed-term contracts in the Zenimax branch in Galway, Ireland, were laid off from customer support. They were also meant to cushion the expected surge at the release.

Gameinformer does not provide any numbers but expresses sympathy for the employees affected by the layoffs. We at mein-mmo would like to join that sentiment.

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War Thunder: Why take the tank to Cologne? Gamescom!

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time < 1 minutes

The warplane MMO War Thunder has recently been making waves. For Gamescom, a World War II tank was transported to Cologne.

War Thunder is primarily an aerial combat MMO, with battles taking place over burning Europe during World War II. Recently, however, it’s also been hitting the ground: with Ground Forces, a tank expansion is on the way. At Gamescom in Cologne, War Thunder was not only present with uniformed ladies but also showcased a fighter aircraft, a Messerschmitt BF 109 K-4, on display. Additionally, War Thunder had a real tank, the SU-100, at its booth.

How to get such a colossus, a Soviet tank destroyer weighing 31.6 tons, to Cologne is now demonstrated by Gaijin Software in a video.
More about War Thunder’s appearance and its rival World of Tanks can be found in this article.

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Star Trek Online: Neelix, Seven-of-Nine and the Doctor recruited for Delta Rising

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In the SF-MMO Star Trek Online (STO), the expansion Delta Rising also brings some familiar faces from the TV series “Voyager” on board the MMO.

Tim Russ (Tuvok) and Garret Wang (Harry Kim) were already known to adorn the next expansion “Delta Rising” in Star Trek Online. Now, the game’s homepage has announced further additions. Ethan Phillips (Neelix) and Roberto Picardo (the Holo-Doctor) will reprise their roles. And Jeri Ryan (Seven-of-Nine) is also on board.

Soon, the fans can expect a detailed presentation of the crew members and their new roles. The eternal ensign Harry Kim was recently promoted in a ceremony. Seven-of-Nine, it is heard, has committed to the Daystrom Institute, and Neelix is likely still serving as an ambassador.

More about Star Trek Online and the planned expansion Delta Rising can be found on our thematic page.

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Source(s):
  1. Star Trek Online
  2. Massively

H1Z1: Aspiring Zombies Develop Scent of Infection – Infection Brings Advantages and Disadvantages

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time < 1 minutes

In the upcoming zombie and survival MMO H1Z1, the infection with the eponymous virus likely brings both advantages and disadvantages.

At Gameinformer, they had the opportunity to play the current version of the survival MMO H1Z1. And they became acquainted with the new “infection level.” Because now one must not only watch out for hunger, thirst, and HP, but also for the H1Z1 virus.

H1Z1 Zombie Visual
Smells good, looks bad: An infected person. (Smells good – only meant actively, not passively.)

The tester writes that he intentionally allowed himself to be bitten by a zombie to reach infection level 4. At level 5, one dies. Just before the zombie exit, however, his character developed special abilities. Thus, he could already scent other players from a distance on a “pheromone” trail. However, such a high infection level also brings disadvantages: Vision becomes blurred. Not to mention the impending death. Probably, one transforms into a zombie upon reaching the level and thereby loses control over the character.

In a stream about the game, SOE President John Smedley had already talked about how the infection level will likely rise through contact with infected individuals or the consumption of contaminated food. It can be lowered by penicillin, an item in the game. Learn more about H1Z1 on our topic page.

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

Study: More women play than male teenagers!

Cortyn Cortyn Reading time 2 minutes

And once again, a study has been published that focused on video games. This time, it is not about the terrible influences of video games, but about the distribution within the population: Which groups of people play the most, and what is the distribution between men and women?

Eye catcher: There are more adult female gamers than teenage males

One of the biggest highlights of the study is the finding that there are now more adult women who count video games among their hobbies than there are underage male players. Overall, the young men only make up 17% of the total player base, while adult women account for a substantial 36%, which is more than double! Fascinating… or maybe not?

Player distribution: Only a small difference between women and men

Gaming Study - The Entertainment Software Association
Source: The Entertainment Software Association (theesa.com)

According to this study, men only have a slight edge in terms of their pure numbers, as women now make up 48% of the player base, and men only make up 52%. This may sound surprising to just about every reader, as a look at the servers of WoW, SWTOR, or WildStar reveals a completely different picture, which is why further clarification is needed: Any type of video game declares a person as a “gamer” – at least in this study. This also includes all mobile, smartphone, and Facebook games.

My opinion: I don’t find the results of the study surprising at all. It seems rather like an attempt to desperately find some sensational news. The mere statement “More adult women play than male teenagers under 18” makes me roll my eyes a bit. In a larger group of people, more individuals play than in a significantly smaller group. Well, who would have thought that! Since seemingly everyone who plays “Minesweeper” or “Solitaire” once a month has ended up in this statistic, I am not surprised at all. Just because someone eats salad once a month doesn’t mean they are a vegetarian.

That there is no distinction made between players who invest several hours in a game daily and “gamers” who play a round of “Snake” on their phone definitely does not reflect positively on this study. Nevertheless, I am glad that there is more engagement with the topic – even if no exciting results come out of it.

You can actually download the entire study (in English) here, provided by the Entertainment Software Association.

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

Mecker Mittwoch – WildStar: Megaserver-Maßnahme und Rollenspieler-Rage

Cortyn Cortyn Reading time 4 minutes

I recently decided on a hot topic for my weekly rant, which quite literally fits “like a fist to the eye”.

The WildStar servers will be merged into so-called “megservers”, and if I understand correctly, there will only be two European servers left after this step: one for PvE and one for PvP.

The positive aspects are there

I can absolutely understand Carbine’s decision. Many realms are currently relatively empty, and large raid groups form only rarely due to the high demands placed on players. There is practically no competition for “World First Kill,” even though a few dedicated guilds are certainly doing their best.

WIldStar Warplots
The Warplots will likely gain popularity due to the server merge. So far, only a few have seen a warplot.

Also, the big feature of Warplots is still rarely used – acute player shortage is often a reason, since not everyone is keen on PvP and certainly not in such a large, coordinated group.

The mentioned problems can be resolved by megaservers, I see that. And yet I could cry.

… but you will get surnames! And new people!

WildStar Housing Bar
A small downside: New players could soon take a seat at the tavern.

I hear the little voices in the role-playing forum desperately trying to point out the positive aspects that such a megaserver can have for role players. It could bring new people because if everyone is on one server, the chance is high that newcomers will become enthusiastic about RP. Sure, this is a valid point. But for every new role player, there will also be ten trolls who just enjoy ruining the fun for others, and that is very easy to do in role-playing.

A second point is that surnames are supposed to be THE realized dream of every role player. Short and sweet: They are not. My Cortyn is already named Leafshade, whether that is displayed above her head or not is completely irrelevant. A nice feature that could already be had through addons if one really wanted it. I don’t want it. I don’t want all the rest either.

WildStar takes what it gave me

I am currently playing on “Toria”, the German RP-PvE realm and it is quite empty.

As a role player, a somewhat empty server is a blessing, as it has led to interesting developments. “CREDD” cost about 1-2 platinum in the first weeks, without wanting to brag: I will play WildStar completely for free this next year due to this low price. When I hear stories about how CREDD costs 50 platinum or more on other realms, I can only smile in satisfaction. That will end.

WildStar
On Toria, it feels familial: “Everyone knows everyone”.

A second beautiful advantage of a half-empty RP server is that you know almost all players. I know almost all players and at least every guild on the realm is known to me. It’s hard to put into the right words, but it feels like a large circle of acquaintances united under the realm name Toria. Everyone knows everyone, both in the Exiles and in the Dominion. That will end.

It is this feeling of togetherness, the feeling of a community that has formed over the last three months that is being destroyed by packing all players together with a flood of “Olololol-epics!” people. No, I do not consider myself and all role players to be better, and I cannot speak for everyone, but I simply have different expectations of a game. And role-playing without the appropriate environment is difficult. Because RP is not just “what you make of it,” but also strongly dependent on the environment. And try playing tennis on a soccer field while two teams are kicking against each other. It doesn’t work.

My idea: A bit naive, perhaps underdeveloped

WildStar

My option may be a bit too romantically idealized, but let me explain: Why not merge all servers except the RP servers? Let us live in peace with our little, perfect world! We don’t want large PvP groups or super raid competitions; we are already delighted if we can sit on a chair with a click! Yes, I can already hear your counter-arguments that there are also PvE players who are on an RP server and they too want to experience content. Let them transfer for free, as is already the case!

I really have no choice

I know it’s never as hot as it’s cooked, you shouldn’t praise the day before the evening, and don’t distribute the wild until it’s caught. But all those wise sayings don’t help me right now to cope with simply being incredibly gloomy about this decision. The last months of role-playing were so grand because there was hardly any harassment from “non-role players” because you could simply RP right in the capital without being ridiculed from the side about how silly you behave.

WildStar
xXxShàdôwhúntâxXx comes running. For RP players, the rule is: Better hide before it’s too late.

That will come to an end, and at the latest when xXxShàdôwhúntâxXx hops across my screen for the first time, my Cortyn will suddenly pay more attention to the housing item “Rope”. Whether she will soon be hanging from one of her beloved trees can only time tell.

After reading through this column a second time, I realize that I haven’t written so negatively and so melancholically in a long time. WildStar and the role-playing have become a matter of the heart for me – please don’t ruin it for me. Please, Carbine, please.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.