The Second Season of the Living World is playable in Guild Wars 2 since this week. An important topic in the last weeks: The music. Now the six music pieces from the first episode are available on Soundcloud for you to listen to.
Music is an important topic these days in Guild Wars 2. The composer Maclaine Diemer flew all the way to Frankfurt (Oder) to record the soundtrack for the Second Season of the Living World live with the Brandenburg State Orchestra – with strings, brass, and everything that goes along with it. On Monday, we presented the first excerpts in a video. Now ArenaNet has uploaded six pieces, the music of the First Episode, to Soundcloud.
The six songs last just over 9 minutes in total, and if you listen closely, you can recognize the individual motifs and the dramaturgy that run through the new area, the Dry Top.
What do you think of this trend in MMOs? Do you have a favorite piece?
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Blizzard has provided some gaming sites with beta keys for Warlords of Draenor, the new expansion to their MMO World of Warcraft. The rush for these events, where a coveted beta key can be snagged, is enormous.
A few days ago, mmorpg.com had already offered 500 beta keys for Warlords of Draenor. They were gone faster than one can pronounce C’Thun correctly (the “h” is silent).
Now the site decided on a reckless stunt and announced that they would soon have more keys available – a fateful mistake. Especially since they named an exact time frame when they would release 500 keys to the fastest clickers. Hot-blooded and determined WoW fans who wanted their key showed up at the specified time with the F5 key pressed down, bombarding the site so hard that the servers crashed.
Craig McGregor from mmorpg.com later stated that they had never experienced such a rush.
Of course, no news posts could appear, nor could any orderly process take place. Somehow, they managed to keep their promise and funnel 500 keys into the database. They were gone in less than 60 seconds.
They have 4000 keys available for July. However, they have learned from mistakes and are moving away from the summer clearance sale principle of “Whoever grabs it first can take it home.” The remaining keys will be announced in a civil manner, and then a 3-day raffle will be held.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In a statement to Polygon, Blizzard made it clear that one of their goals in esports is to create a vibrant and inclusive community around the games. Organizers of events that do not support this cannot use Blizzard’s games. They are working with partners to achieve these goals.
Apparently, this announcement immediately resonated and the organizations in question have strayed from their position that there must be a clear separation between men and women if they want to be recognized as a legitimate sport. The tournaments that were intended solely for men are now open to everyone – this applies not only to Hearthstone, but also to Starcraft and other games. Parallel to the main event, which anyone can participate in, there are still games in Starcraft 2 and Tekken Tag Tournament exclusively for female participants.
As highlighted in the article by Polygon that accompanies Blizzard’s statement, the tournament organizers are indeed sensitive to the issue. While half of the players worldwide are female, women make up only a negligible percentage of esports athletes. The IeSF (the corresponding committee) will strive in the future to provide women with more opportunities to participate in esports, in order to promote gender equality.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In the SF-MMO WildStar, players move on ground mounts. Yet the dream of flying is so close, as the game was designed with flying mounts in mind. Carbine’s president also promises flying mounts like players know from World of Warcraft (WoW). But only with restrictions.
In an interview with gamezone.com, Executive Producer Jeremy Gaffney gives the impression that flying will definitely make it to Nexus. After all, the planet was designed with flying mounts in mind. “We will probably do something like that in one of the content updates, but it will most likely not be free flying,” Gaffney continues. Instead, there could be lifts that players move between – or maybe gas stations where players must land repeatedly to refuel.
Anyone introducing something like flying must consider many factors. If done naively, for example, it would ruin open PvP. The world would stretch out significantly if there were not just two dimensions, but three. The world would become a cube. Players would be on different levels and could avoid each other.
Moreover, the possibility of free flying would simplify a large portion of PvE content to the point of irrelevance. There simply has to be a better solution, and a more interesting one, Gaffney adds.
Mein MMO believes: It is interesting that World of Warcraft is the only “major” MMO to have ever introduced free flying. Designers there are now struggling to eliminate it from the game. At least in the leveling phase, it will not work with Warlords of Draenor. And WildStar identifies exactly the problems that arise in WoW. It is difficult to give players a sense of danger when they can soar into safe skies at any moment. And how can one represent a hostile environment in which it takes incredible effort to reach a rugged cliff when this is accomplished in an instant by a pocket flying mount? Even if some players would enjoy the comfort and supposed freedom of movement and would like to explore the world from the back of a flying mount, game designers seem to increasingly see the challenges behind the concept. Ultimately, the fun in a game also comes from the obstacles that must be overcome and the limitations that players must deal with.
As a little anecdote: In Star Trek, “beaming” was introduced just to save the studio the costs of an elaborate landing on planets. But with beaming, every tension threatened to evaporate: At any time, Captain Kirk, Spock, and McCoy could be beamed to safety by Scotty – so every time something exciting was about to happen, the transporter had to fail, there had to be interference, shields, or special “solar storms”. All to make sure the miracle cure no longer worked. Game designers today face the same problems that the Star Trek creators did back then when they let players fly. As cool as it would be…
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In the fantasy MMO The Elder Scrolls Online, there is a new trend: the Emperor Farming. A guild dominates a campaign, appoints an emperor who abdicates, and the next one takes the disposable crown.
It’s quite a strange title that appears on reddit: “I am Taifuu, I am Empress and I want you to help me stop the farming of the emperor title.” Apparently, as indicated in the letter, a game mechanic that TESO introduced is bearing unwanted fruit.
There can be only one, but many ex-emperors
The emperor title is the highest goal that a PvP player in Cyrodiil can aim for. Whoever becomes emperor receives massive bonuses. The PvP player Pryda, whom we interviewed on the topic, mentioned that it is indeed possible for the emperor to deal with an overwhelming force. There are still videos circulating from the early days of TESO showing vampire dragonknight emperors keeping entire armies at bay, as if they had just emerged from another MMO where they acted as raid bosses. The fact that one individual can be so powerful is not something the players have much to complain about, after all, it is not permanent, and there can – like Highlander – always be only one.
However, former emperors retain a hint of their power, a glimmer of past days. This is now becoming a problem: Apparently, it motivates guilds to crown everyone in as empty campaigns as possible: The bonus is simply too tempting.
Taifuu, a member of such a guild, is annoyed by the behavior of her colleagues and now calls on the fighters to join her. She has long waited for this behavior to be condemned by Zenimax with bans, but nothing is happening. At the moment, she has tricked her guildmates into giving her the title under the pretense of wanting to give it back soon. But that was a ruse. Taifuu wants to stay in power and urges the fighters to support her.
Besides, this “putting on the throne”, “abdicating”, and then the next comes, seems to be quite widespread. In the Overdrive campaign Celarus, her entire guild was crowned emperor one after the other.
[intense_testimonies][intense_testimony][intense_testimony_text]The emperor title should actually be the highest goal that a player can strive for and one that requires a long effort. When a guildmate pushes like at the free beer stand, saying everyone should hurry, now it’s their turn, this effect dissipates or even turns into its opposite. The current “ghost” campaigns can be dominated by a small number of players. They then decide the fate.
Changes are expected in a few weeks. Whether it will improve with half of the campaigns and shorter play time remains to be seen. A well-intentioned bonus for “former emperors” is currently turning into a farmable mini-buff. This can only be detrimental to the fun of the game and the reputation of the emperor title. Certainly, the participating players are not breaking any rules in the literal sense, but they are against the spirit behind it.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Funcom’s Buy-to-Play puzzle-and-shooter MMO The Secret World is celebrating its second birthday with a bang: There are events, double bonuses, new content, and free months for every player you recruit.
Mission Pack for Tokyo
The Secret World wants to make a real effort for its second birthday. During the Steam Summer Sale, the game was available for 5 Euros. To ride this wave of new players, Funcom wants to offer something special for the second birthday.
This includes a new mission pack. In “Love&Hate”, players will embark on 5 missions in Tokyo. One of them is one of the dreaded “Investigation” missions, meaning it’s a puzzle task; the other 4 will be resolved according to character orientation with shotgun, sledgehammer, or magic in the classic cultist style. The mission pack costs 960 points in the store. Issue 9 is required to hunt through wild Tokyo. Those who complete all 5 missions will receive a Tattered Noh Mask as a vanity item and a “totally mysterious box.”
“Earn one, get two!“-Bonus Week
For every skill point earned from July 3rd to July 11th, you will receive an extra one. Additionally, during this time it will be easier to progress in the game. A bonus is available for a variety of activities: black bars, Aurei of Initiation, signs of Venice, and AEGIS research XP.
A special twist: Funcom is giving every player 10 invitation codes, which they can use to infect their friends with the TSW virus. If one of the buddies you send a code to buys the base game within 30 days, the player converted into a recruiter will receive an extra free month in addition to the usual veteran points.
So be careful if you’re approached by people this month; you should definitely give this hot MMO The Secret World a try – there’s just self-interest at play! Also included in the package: A new world boss has settled in Tokyo, likely a golem.
What’s next for The Secret World?
Game Director Joel Bylos is excited about the second anniversary of The Secret World, even if the game is still in its infancy compared to the teenager Anarchy Online (14 years) and the preschooler Age of Conan (6 years).
Overall, the letter from the Game Director has a “We have passed the worst” character; they thank the players who have stuck it out for so long. The great community motivates everyone at Funcom to always give their best to provide fans with a unique MMO experience.
In July, the development team is taking a short break to catch their breath and enjoy the summer, which is why there will be no letter from the Game Director this month; in the second half of the year, they plan to make a strong impact with issues #10 and #11.
In our review of The Secret World, we found that TSW, despite a weak start, is a good, albeit quirky MMO
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Blizzard’s Chief Creative Officer Rob Pardo is leaving the game studio Blizzard of his own accord. Pardo is regarded as one of the leading minds behind Warcraft III, Starcraft: Brood War, Diablo III, and Vanilla World of Warcraft. Thus, he has likely influenced how we play today more than just a few others.
Pardo had played a leading role in many of Blizzard’s classics and was currently involved in the development of Warlords of Draenor. He was also instrumental in Diablo 3. He is inseparably linked to the biggest MMO success in history, with World of Warcraft Classic. Together with Tom Chilton, who is regarded as a PvP guru, and Jeffrey Kaplan, a raid specialist nicknamed Tigole, who is now working on the mysterious Titan project, one could refer to Rob Pardo as one of the fathers of Blizzard’s World of Warcraft.
In 2006, Times named him one of the 100 most influential men shaping and defining our world. Moreover, Pardo had the dubious honor of appearing in the legendary Make Love, Not Warcraft episode of South Park.
Pardo reportedly looks forward to spending more time with his family and finally learning how to build a decent Hearthstone deck. He plans to spend the summer with his family, some video games, and contemplating what the future holds for him. At the moment, the gaming business is so exciting and changing that he is looking forward to his next endeavor with great anticipation.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In the SF-MMO WildStar, there are issues with the translation in the new zones. However, Carbine didn’t wait for players to find out and get frustrated; instead, they spoke up in advance. The president of Carbine makes it clear: “We messed it up.”
On Tuesday, a surprisingly open message came in to us in the editorial office and surely to x other places: The translation for the Content Patch “Transmutation” unfortunately wasn’t finished in time, players of the German version will repeatedly read untranslated gibberish or encounter other errors in the area.
Now, the Executive Producer of Carbine, Jeremy Gaffney, (where “Executive Producer” should also be localized) has spoken out and explained the reasons for the problem. Certain work steps were assigned low priority, but they needed a higher priority to go through the necessary departments in time so that the translation would still work. We’re talking about “strings”, “processes”, and “tools”.
Or as Gaffney says: “In short: We messed it up. And we really would have liked to avoid that with our first major content update. Our goal is to regularly publish new content on a large scale and to ensure that all languages are fully supported at the time of release.”
They mentioned that they still had work steps from the beta that were sensible back then but are no longer relevant today. Gaffney promises to deliver the translation as soon as possible and to ensure that it will be better next time. They are trying out some things here that no one has ever attempted before, for example, regularly delivering huge content patches. That is certainly difficult. As true professionals, one must tackle such tasks.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Good news for all hunters in World of Warcraft: With the upcoming expansion Warlords of Draenor, pets will finally learn the meaning of the words “Play dead.”
The play dead skill for hunters is a completely logical and useful skill in PvE that frees the hunter from all aggro should they be in danger of overnuking. It is also often used to save repair costs. Particularly popular: When there is actually no wipe, but the hunter still decides to bail.
In the arena or in PvP, the play dead skill has always suffered from the fact that the pet stood by alive while the hunter crouched on the ground in death agony. Typically, the pet dies with its master or mistress and despawns. So the trick with “playing dead” in the arena only worked if you let the pet die beforehand or didn’t bring it at all. With Warlords of Draenor, that will come to an end: The pet will finally play dead together with the hunter and mark the dying swan, the dying cat, or the dying boar. But only if the hunter glyphs the corresponding trait.
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At a Finnish Hearthstone tournament, women are not allowed, and there is a good reason for this: If women and men play together, Hearthstone cannot become an eSport.
If Hearthstone wants to be an eSport and if eSport wants to be a real sport, then girls must stay out of Hearthstone tournaments in the future; this is the result of a correspondence that took place between a journalist from a gaming magazine and several eSport associations from different countries.
It is an absurd situation that the English magazine PCGamer has uncovered. A Finnish Hearthstone tournament has excluded all non-Finns and all women and girls from participating in their tournament. This caused confusion, scratching of heads, and general horror on Reddit: “How backward.”
But the Finns are looking to Korea. Anyone who wants to succeed at a national Hearthstone tournament, rise through the ranks, and ultimately compete in South Korea, the mecca of eSports, must be a man. Otherwise, they will not be allowed. Sounds crazy, right? But there is logic behind it.
Because eSport is striving to be recognized as a “real” sport. That’s why it clearly separates between men and women – even in Hearthstone. In response to inquiries from PCGamer, they said: “In chess, men and women also play separately.”
The bitter part about it is: Although Hearthstone is on the rise concerning eSports, it is not so popular yet that it would be worth organizing a separate women’s tournament. There is only one for Starcraft 2 and Tekken Tag Tournament – classic girl games, while Hearthstone, as a hardcore men’s and macho sport, simply isn’t the right activity for a decent lady.
Update 10:00 AM: After Blizzard has now also commented disapprovingly and almost every gaming magazine from Seoul to Anchorage reports on it, the Finnish organizers are backing down and allowing women to participate as well. Whew, that was close – a victory for emancipation where it really counts.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In ArenaNet’s Buy-to-Play MMO Guild Wars 2, there is a lot to do this week with new zones, new stories, and new enemies. We took ArenaNet’s invitation and traversed the new zone together with the developers.
Falling Cats
Admittedly, my level 80 warrior is not exactly up to date technologically. And as I make my way along with a handful of journalists from European gaming magazines and the game’s Lead Content Designer, Mike ‘Z’ Zadorojny, I feel a bit nervous. I tend to inexplicably fall off things all the time. And in the new zone, Dry Top, there are plenty of opportunities for that!
But I shall only fall twice that afternoon: once, when Mike takes us to a secluded spot to pick up one of the 30 coins that lead to an incredibly important achievement – hopefully nobody notices when I fall, getting up with a blade of grass in my mouth while whistling. And then I fall a second time, this time on the master’s instructions. I walked up a hill instead of down and am now separated from the group. Mike recommends I take the “Gravity” route, and my cat proves that two sayings are nonsense: I neither land on my feet nor do I have nine lives.
The Zone Gives Fans “More” of Everything
The new content in ArenaNet’s flagship MMO “Guild Wars 2” is likely what fans have long wished for: a new zone with clever events and refined gameplay mechanics. Additionally, the continuation of the season, which first continues the story of the last event to then illuminate the background of Scarlett Briar, the villainess from Season 1.
But there is not just something new, but above all “More”. More nodes, adventures, events, reputation vendors, and crafting mats. The new Living Story indeed has many of the things one would have wished from an expansion. The events have new twists and sometimes require a different tactic than “brute force”. When the horde of journalists ignores the target marked by the boss to burst another, the developer wisely states: “If Bruteforce fails, use more Bruteforce.” Translated approximately: Where raw forces reign senselessly, one simply does not hit hard enough.
Dry Top resembles a desert town in a rugged canyon. The crashed airship forms the fitting background. The fights are varied (even if I don’t exactly perform heroically), but mostly focus on mass pulls. Since we are rampaging through the instances of the Living Story with a five-member group (which then functions like a personal story) and we already have a whole troop of NPCs trailing behind us, the game feels full and alive. In the open world, the mega-server ensures that one does not feel lonely. And on the way from A to B, one happily takes part in Event C where a group is battling a nasty champion scorpion – this makes the gameplay dynamic, lively, and busy.
Continuation of Jump Puzzles with a Twist
The entire zone, as the developer later reveals, is built in a “modular” way. For players who long for higher challenges, there are achievements to earn that are fairly tricky and require ingenuity.
In the zone, three different types of crystals are hidden, which give the player a special ability for a short time: with one, a short dash is possible, with another one jumps better and reaches higher terrain, and the third ability allows one to jump around as if having a pogo stick under one’s feet. This allows overcoming certain chasms. During the normal progress of the story quest, these abilities are easy to use and present no problem. However, those after exotic achievements – such as the 30 coins – will need to thoroughly explore and learn the zone to optimally utilize each of the three abilities: a continuation of the popular jump puzzles from the release.
The Good and the Not So Good About the New Zone
Overall, the zone feels as if Guild Wars 2 is recalling the strengths that fascinated and convinced so many players back at release. The world is accessible. There is always something happening. There is always something to do. There is an event by the roadside, here one needs to figure out how to survive for a few seconds in quicksand to gain a few AV points. The combat system with the two weapons looks quite simple at first glance, but upon closer inspection, it proves to be demanding.
As much as the new zones emphasize the old strengths, the problems of the game remain, at least in my eyes. What I still don’t like and where I had problems again this time: gear progression rarely occurs through one-time drops but is rather a result of persistent collecting passion. At the end of the excursion, I have my bags full of items I can break down, and currencies I need to collect and “turn in somewhere,” but I haven’t swapped a single piece of gear for a better one.
Nevertheless, the beginning of the second season seems to me to be an ideal entry point for players who want to take another look at Tyria after a long time to see what has changed: a whole lot.
This is What the Further Schedule for the Gates of Maguuma Looks Like
And it will remain so for the next few weeks. To conclude, we quickly received a schedule. Every two weeks, new episodes of the Living Story will be released. Episodes 2 and 3 await players on July 15 and 29. Then, on August 12, the 4th episode will come – after that, there will be a short summer break. Later, the story will continue with further installments of the epic saga. During the two weeks when the episodes are active, players who are currently taking a break from Guild Wars 2 should also briefly log in: if you log in, the episode remains unlocked for all characters and for all future instances. If you do not do this, you will have the opportunity to experience it later for a few crystals.
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This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The zombie MMO H1Z1 will, according to SOE CEO John Smedley, start with a variety of different server types. 50 servers have already been set up. They will operate with a variety of different rule systems.
A few weeks ago, SOE released a list with initial ideas for various server types. On a hardcore survival server, it will be extremely realistic. Players will have to constantly fight against exhaustion, hunger, and thirst – and if someone stubs their toe, they will need to take care of it or live with the consequences.
Individual servers for individual players and needs
Other ideas for server types included one without firearms, where the one-eyed archer among the blind brawlers is king. Additionally: typical PvP paranoia variants, where the worst enemy is not the zombie next door, but another player who can take away all the hard-earned survival gear.
One of the fan favorites, also received with interest and goodwill by the Mein-MMO community: a “Roleplay” server where zombies react to the “real” sounds of the players. If they talk over voice chat or even sneeze, the zombie horde could already be on the way.
At launch, there will likely be no “Private Servers”, but an initiative is being worked on to enable such servers. However, they definitely do not want to allow hacks; the enjoyment of the player should come first.
Getting closer to launch
As SOE CEO John Smedley explained on Twitter, they have already set up 50 servers with a whole range of different rule systems, meaning different server types. From day one, players should have a free choice to play what they want to play.
And Smedley manages to convey a bit of hope in the 140 characters of a tweet alongside information. “Getting closer” he means they are getting closer to Early Access. Additionally, a new video about level design in H1Z1 has been released. See for yourself.
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The free-to-play arcade MMO DC Universe Online (DCUO) has announced its 11th expansion. With the Halls of Power, five new group instances will come. Players will need to collect six new skill points. With the League Halls, a form of guild housing will be introduced in DCUO.
The superhero and supervillain MMO DC Universe Online, DCUO, has been confirmed by SOE chief Smedley to be the most profitable MMO in the SOE stable, largely due to the revenues from PlayStation 3 and 4. With “Halls of Power Part 1,” the eleventh add-on is on the way.
League Halls long planned, now finally ready
And it has been a difficult birth. In a letter from the producer, Jens Andersen explains the background. They had been discussing the “League Halls” since 2012. At that time, they didn’t even know exactly how to approach it, but one thing was already certain: they would give the leagues (the guilds of DCUO) a hall that they could design, and they would have to defend it against enemies. It was also known that the power of the league should be reflected in the splendor of the hall.
However, the endeavor turned out to be much bigger than anticipated. So much bigger that it would take two years for the concept to finally come to fruition. The league hall will also be available to players who do not purchase the DLC. The feature will be unlocked for everyone shortly before the patch for free.
Darkseid sends his minions
In addition to the major feature, there will also be new costumes, new heroes (some of the New Guardians), and a lot of action. A 4-player operation, an 8-player operation, a 4-player alert, and two 8-player raids are on the agenda.
In terms of story, the saga of Darkseid continues. Heroes must stop his minions from collecting artifacts from the Third Age, the Age of the Gods. Supervillains might find a place in Darkseid’s new world order.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Today, the developers of the Free2Play title “Star Wars: The Old Republic” have given us a deeper insight into the upcoming update “Galactic Strongholds” and demonstrated how the future home can be set up starting from August 19, 2014, with some graphics.
First of all, the hard facts: A stronghold can be acquired once the character reaches level 15 and has their own spaceship, or has completed the storyline on their home planet (Dromund Kaas/Coruscant). However, the prices of the strongholds will be in the millions, which is probably not an option for low-level characters – alternatively, the buildings can also be purchased with real money currency.
Once acquired, all characters of your legacy can access the stronghold, decorate it, and expand it – and this will be desperately needed. Because even though it is your stronghold, you initially do not have access to all rooms. Depending on the design, a stronghold has 8-12 areas, all of which must be unlocked with cash if you want to use them.
Decorating, on the other hand, looks relatively solid in the pictures. Although numerous decorations cannot be moved freely, they can only be aligned to certain “anchors” (similar to pedestal spots) in the respective rooms. Large objects can only be placed on a large anchor, but several small ones can replace a large one, for example. Within the constraints of the anchor, decorations can then be tilted and rotated freely – this is not complete freedom, but certainly much better than feared.
You can grant both temporary and permanent access to other players and even give them the rights to make independent decoration changes.
Last but not least, with the strongholds, the legacy vault is introduced – an account bank that all your characters have access to. Thus, “bank alts” in Star Wars: The Old Republic will likely belong to the past. However, only players with a stronghold have access to this bank – a small extra for the high prices.
The blacksmith Tony Swatton has responded to the requests of numerous fans and recreated the cult weapon from World of Warcraft, the sword Frostmourne.
Frostmourne (or Frostgram) is certainly one of the most famous fictional weapons of all time (perhaps alongside Excalibur, Mjölnir, lightsabers, the silver bullet, and Captain America’s shield – okay, that sounded really nerdy). But can such a construction exist and endure in the real world? Sure, why not!
The blacksmith Tony Swatton regularly recreates the most famous weapons together with a whole team based on fans’ wishes. This time it was Frostmourne. Fans of World of Warcraft have been wishing for this for a long time. You can admire the spectacle in the Youtube video below this text. And yes… of course, he tests the weapon at the end. But does a voice in the sword command him to resurrect an undead dragon? Hmm! Only the bearer can hear that. So if this should be Swatton’s last video, we know what has happened to him. Perhaps he will soon be sitting on a rather cold throne…
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In the Fantasy MMO The Elder Scrolls Online, FPS drops and lags have been causing headaches and bad moods for a week. Zenimax has found the culprit and is addressing it with a hotfix.
Since the “Crypt of Hearts” patch, technicians and players have been scratching their heads about what suddenly went wrong with The Elder Scrolls Online. Everything was running smoothly before, and then suddenly nothing worked anymore. As always, players searched for patterns and discussed it on all channels: One swore that it was only horrible in Cyrodiil, the PvP zone, while another noticed frame rate drops in the Crypt of Hearts as well. One said it lagged for him when playing the Templar, while another had no issues at all. Many suspected a change in a healing spell. It was a mystery.
Now a staff member from Zenimax spoke up in the official forum and said the relieving words: “Hey there everyone. We’re aware that the FPS issue did not get fixed after yesterday’s patch and, in some cases, actually made it worse. Our team has identified what’s causing this, and we are working on a hotfix now. We hope to roll this out for everyone soon, and will let you all know as soon as we do.”
They regret that the problem could not be resolved with the last patch – in some instances, it even worsened. However, they have now identified the issue and want to fix it as quickly as possible with a hotfix.
Under the thread, the howling of werewolves was heard, whose vulnerability to silver did not prompt a hotfix. In the past, players have often been reassured until the next maintenance to address issues that, in the eyes of some – usually those affected – also deserved an immediate hotfix.
Update 11 AM: The hotfix has now been deployed for The Elder Scrolls Online. It requires a 50 MB download. As the German community manager Kai Schober informs, the hotfix should improve performance in many cases, but unfortunately does not offer a complete fix. In the meantime, work is continuing on a solution. Anyone currently in The Elder Scrolls Online will need to log out briefly to download the hotfix.
Update March 7, 1 AM: The hotfix seems to have not delivered as much as originally hoped. They are aiming for a patch date early next week to resolve the issues. If Zenimax sees a way to mitigate the frame rate drops beforehand, another hotfix will be deployed.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The fantasy MMO Guild Wars 2 is taking storytelling to new heights. The story of the world of Tyria is told in episodes and seasons, much like new US series that rely on a cohesive narrative across months and years. Now, Guild Wars 2 is venturing into new storytelling territory.
As reported by mmorpg.com, the folks at ArenaNet have consulted with storytellers and artists from other media to get tips on how to design a longer narrative arc, how to create more vivid characters, and how to make the second season, the second book, of a storytelling cycle much more exciting than the first.
Guild Wars 2 as a pioneer in modern storytelling
This is exactly what ArenaNet is planning with the second season of the living story in their buy-to-play MMO Guild Wars 2. It will introduce players to the villain of last year, Scarlett O’Hare. Only with this new information will they understand what was going on in the pretty head of this apparently insane woman. O’Hare is, by the way, definitely dead. Such tricks as having a villain who just can’t be killed belong more in the realm of comics than in modern storytelling, which is what shows like Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones (even though…) or Sons of Anarchy shine for.
“The further you progress in the second season, the more players should wish to play the first season again,” is a quote from designer Chris Whiteside during a conversation with massively. Therefore, it’s not surprising that ArenaNet is already seriously considering making the first season of the Living World replayable in the future. Just as it will be done with the episodes of the second season and as players know from their DVD shelves. After all, many rewatch all episodes of the series in one go when a new season starts. Binge-watching is what they call it.
Video recorder function aims to make new storytelling relatable
Guild Wars 2 also wants to continue focusing on other narrative details and pay more attention to specifics. The background, the scenario, the new world that the heroes embark on will be familiar to franchise veterans. The journey leads to Drytop, a crucial area that played a significant role in the first Guild Wars. But that was 250 years ago, as the designers assure, since then, quite a lot has changed. And the characters you meet on your travels? They won’t be faceless beings who only differ by the color of their armor, but should be real characters that gain contours and peculiarities throughout their story.
That ArenaNet is serious about this new direction can be seen in small details. They sent their in-house composer to collaborate with the Brandenburg State Orchestra to record the soundtrack for the new living story. After all, a modern presentation of a story requires an appropriate sound. Also, motifs and melodies can create connections between different points in a story. And this connection will become more important as the story becomes longer and more complex.
The second season of the living world has been playable since yesterday.
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For those whose guild house in Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn is too busy, they will be able to retreat to their private chambers with Patch 2.3.
On the homepage of Final Fantasy XIV, a preview of the private chambers that are to be added to the game with the Patch 2.3. was released. It brings along other stuff, some frightening (lightning-slinging bosses), some practical (material gathering), and now a wonderfully plush one.
However, the developers at Square Enix have put a lot of work and cost into the relaxing and chilling in your own armchair! It costs 300,000 Gil to set up one of up to 512 private chambers (per Free Company). Up to 50 furniture and decorative items can fit in the room, giving everyone enough choices to personalize their living space here. Always remember: The most important thing about real estate is location, location, and location.
And what guild leaders of the “Free Companies” will surely be pleased to hear: If a subtenant considers leaving and wants to exit the company, they must first cancel their room in the shared apartment. And no refund of the 300,000 Gil is planned. This is how players are also bound to a guild.
The update 2.3 is set to be released on July 8.
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In Blizzard’s free online card game with collecting and addictive factor Hearthstone, the next season has begun. The July rankings are all about Naxxramas – as a reward for reaching rank 20, players get a card back in the colors of the necropolis: purple and green.
A few days ago, some early screens appeared on reddit about the Naxxramas expansion, including the duo Feugen and Stalagg, two cards that, when both are defeated, summon Thaddius. Naxxramas will indeed rely on cards with Deathrattle, as is known from the class cards presented so far. However, when the expansion will be released remains uncertain. It is supposed to come out in July, but that is still a long time away.
We wish you a good hand in the fourth season of Hearthstone: Big draws and good luck when opening the packs.
After Trion Worlds reached an agreement with the Korean developers of ArcheAge to launch in the West with the “Sandbox” patch 1.2., the development of the EU version of the MMO is picking up speed. An additional server for the Alpha is planned, and beta events are expected to start in mid or late July.
Sandbox Patch and a New Server in North America
It was barely two weeks ago that representatives from Trion Worlds returned from Korea with good news. They had reached an agreement with XLGAMES to bring the so-called “Sandbox” patch 1.2. for the beta launch. This patch made several corrections to the game design, which had taken a wrong turn with 1.0 in the Korean ArcheAge.
This decision caused cheers among “Sandbox” fans but also raised concerns: Trion Worlds stated that they still have much more to translate. There was talk of a delay in the beta. However, it will already start in mid and late July.
To handle the influx, a new server will also be opened. It will be called Omega and will be located in North America. Preparations for the beta are already underway at the server location in Amsterdam.
The Plan: First Closed Beta, then Open, then Headstart, then Launch
The closed beta will launch with the patch ArcheAge 1.2., Built 4.1. (this is how Trion Worlds refers to their version of the Korean patch 1.2 to avoid misunderstandings). This patch will not include the Trion-specific features that were recently introduced. Trion Worlds is dependent on quick feedback.
From mid to late July, they plan to start closed beta events. The events will last 3 to 5 days. As is common with MMOs lately, invitations will be given out through giveaways on gaming sites, or lucky players will be drawn. Purchasing a founder’s pack will also secure access.
After the closed beta events, there will be an open beta phase that everyone can access. After that, all characters will be deleted, and the wait for the headstart and launch will begin.
My MMO thinks: With this path to release, Trion Worlds is now following the same route taken by The Elder Scrolls Online and WildStar. Fans will need to seize the right time window to secure a beta key as early as possible—unless they plan to purchase a founder’s pack.
Our colleagues at mmorpg.com have published a worth reading article about the sandbox nature of ArcheAge. The author posits that it was important for Trion Worlds to launch with patch 1.2 in Europe and that they were willing to wait a bit longer for it. The 1.0 patch had led the game down some wrong paths. If ArcheAge had gone live in Europe and North America with that, it would have had catastrophic impacts and certainly alienated many fans.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
