Vorsprung von World of Tanks auf War Thunder bleibt groß

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 2 minutes

One of the most exciting duels on the MMO market has been taking place for several months between the two war simulations War Thunder and World of Tanks. The balance of power is clearly defined: Here with World of Tanks the Goliath, over there with War Thunder the small and agile David.

It is rare for two competing games to occupy the same niche so clearly and find such different starting positions. The developer of War Thunder finds itself in the role of the underdog. Because actually, the “small” flight simulator game War Thunder was already due for an update years ago, as the giant World of Tanks launched an air spin-off with World of Warplanes. Yet several years later, War Thunder is still around and is launching its own ground offensive with Ground Forces against the Wargaming giant.

Raptr's Most Played PC Games May 2014

In the meantime, War Thunder achieved remarkable values thanks to this announcement. According to Ratpr numbers, a program that measures gamers’ playtime, War Thunder climbed to a remarkable 15th place in May, ahead of Star Wars: The Old Republic and just behind Guild Wars 2. Admittedly, the giant World of Tanks was still a good distance ahead. But World of Tanks was indeed in shooting range.

However, when looking at global Google Trends, which show how often both games were searched in the last 90 days, the gap is much larger. While War Thunder made a small jump in mid-May with the announcement of Ground Forces, this quickly leveled off, and they fell far behind World of Tanks.

Both Games a Phenomenon of the Former Eastern Bloc

This data makes it clear that both games are a phenomenon of the former Eastern Bloc states. The interest in War Thunder is highest in the Czech Republic, Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus. World of Tanks is most frequently searched in Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan, and Moldova when adjusted for population numbers.

With the launch of a “mobile” invasion, the Goliath Wargaming has made its priorities clear for the near future. War Thunder, on the other hand, is going in a different direction with a stronger focus on core gaming and game depth.

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

World of Warcraft: Two Factions – one Auction House

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 2 minutes

The upcoming expansion Warlords of Draenor casts its shadow over World of Warcraft: Soon there will be only one auction house per server. Horde and Alliance will have access to the same pool of items, resources, and shenanigans.

End of Apartheid in Azeroth

The auction houses in World of Warcraft serve players as an anonymous marketplace for their goods; as a showcase during the evening stroll, showing what is available to buy; and as an indispensable self-service and second-hand exchange for twinks that could use a little more oomph. But until now, there has been a clear segregation, an apartheid, in Azeroth: the Alliance shops here, the Horde there. This is set to change: probably already in the pre-patch, there will be only one auction house per server.

Blizzard announced in a brief statement that this feature is coming. It is primarily intended to help underpopulated factions and ensure that they have access to items and crafting supplies.

Relief for Underpopulated Realms

World of Warcraft

Until now, it has been difficult to participate in trading on so-called “tilted” servers, where one faction dominated too strongly, or on “ghost” servers, which are overall sparsely populated. Crafting materials or resources that were deemed too “valuable” to discard piled up in the bank slots. On the other hand, it was not possible to equip oneself through the auction house, as many players prefer.

The previously “neutral” auction house, operated by a gang of goblins in remote outposts, has lost more and more significance in recent months and years. This change should make it completely unnecessary. It is quite possible that the change will already appear with the pre-patch, ahead of Warlords of Draenor.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. us.battle.net
  2. www.buffed.de

Elite PvE players in WildStar: The raids are capable of something

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 2 minutes

The Progress Guild Eugenic ranks well in WildStar worldwide in a good second place when it comes to first kills in the 20-man raid, the Gen Archives. In an interview, one of their key players praises the quality of the raid in WildStar.

In conversation with the English fan site wildstarreport.com, Bambooze, a warrior tank and raid leader, provides insights into the usual madness of a progress raid guild.

100 hours or more have been spent in raids, certainly another 100 the week before, to complete the attunement quest and gear the characters accordingly. The “roleplaying” and “background stuff” can be caught up on later.

Crit-sensitive tanks – not a good idea

Of course, standing in actually too weak gear in front of the bosses meant that this disadvantage had to be overcome through nearly optimal gameplay. Because while a well-equipped character can offset one or two mistakes, that looks very different with weak gear. You could really notice it with the tanks. They were not crit-immune… and when the RNG gods were not with them, they could drop quickly.

Of course, at that early stage, there was also no theorycrafting, so there were no resources to check how a character could be the strongest, deal the most damage, or heal best, which meant improvisation and piecing things together from what was needed.

Much praise for the design of the Gen Archives

For the Gen Archives, Bambooze is full of praise. They are really well-structured, with a variety of boss mechanics. Everything is very varied and well done.

WildStar Gen-Archive

The interviewer also wanted to know if the raids were as hardcore as advertised. “Yes, I would say so.” Mistakes from individuals could lead to wipes for the entire raid. A small group of good players could not carry a bunch of average ones. For those wanting to start raiding, Bambooze has a few tips. Anyone who completes the attunement quest should be quite well prepared for raiding later. Some of the most important set bonuses of the rune might be affordable, although that can quickly get expensive. Otherwise, it’s important to stock up on plenty of buff food and potions.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. wildstarreport.com: WildStar’s PvE Paragons: An Interview with Eugenic

Zombie-Minecraft H1Z1: Gameplay demo from E3

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time < 1 minutes

The zombie MMO with sandbox elements H1Z1 does not yet have a fixed date for Early Access, but it does have a forthcoming developer in Sony Online Entertainment. At E3, they presented nearly 12 minutes of fresh gameplay. Now the video is being made accessible for the first time to players who were not at E3.

Here I am human, here I may be

Senior Designer Jimmy Whisenhunt showcases some basic concepts of H1Z1 in the demo. He makes it clear what it means to fell a tree: Other players can hear it and then decide if the lumberjack is worth visiting. Maybe he has resources that one needs. “People can get pretty crazy in this sort of game,” Whisenhunt says. “But that’s part of the fun.”

But trees need to be cut down, as they provide wood and thus wooden planks. And these are the first step on the path from a penniless newcomer in the zombie apocalypse to a well-equipped top-class zombie and human killer.

In the demo, you can see how the vehicle system works, get an insight into the combat system of H1Z1, observe the weather effects in action, and see what can be crafted in the game. The lumberjack, who quickly creates a bow and a few arrows, can later build a distillation plant or craft a formidable shelter. And all of that with the “Snakes on a plane” effect that zombies have. Whenever it’s about to get boring: “Zombies!” Or other players… and they can, as we now know, get quite paranoid in this type of game. I wonder what that might be about? … “Zombies!”

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Guild Wars 2: Brandenburg Orchestra plays music in

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 2 minutes

In the fantasy online role-playing game Guild Wars 2, special attention is paid to a suitable soundtrack. The in-house composer Maclaine Diemer, along with the Brandenburg State Orchestra from Frankfurt (Oder), has now recorded the soundtrack for the second season of Living World.

In too many MMOs, music is given little importance, yet for many players, it is an important component. Perhaps not everyone is consciously aware of it all the time, but it contributes significantly to a fitting atmosphere. In fact, music from narrative media is hardly thinkable without it. Especially orchestral pieces with strong highs and lows and catchy motifs are in demand. It is no coincidence that Hollywood blockbusters often feature powerful orchestral soundtracks, the dominant motifs of which can be remembered even years later – such as the Imperial March from Star Wars or the iconic sounds from Jurassic Park, when the dinosaurs first appear.

MMOs are also a narrative medium. They thrive on their atmosphere and their ability to put the player (and thus the listener) in a state of ecstasy and amazement.

Music as a Narrative Form

Maclaine Diemer Orchestra

The in-house composer of ArenaNet, Maclaine Diemer, seemed to be packed and ready a few weeks ago in a live stream about Guild Wars 2, where it was about the music of the game. He stated that he finally had the opportunity to record the music he composed for the second season of Living World with a live orchestra, which will soon be on display in Tyria. Now, the orchestra can be admired and especially heard on YouTube.

Diemer has stated that he paid special attention in the composition to capture the essence of the individual zones and episodes, and to tell his very own version of the Living Story with the motifs. Perhaps you can anticipate the twists the story will take from the few minutes that have now surfaced? What strings are played for you when you hear these tones?

The Brandenburg State Orchestra Frankfurt

The Brandenburg State Orchestra Frankfurt (BSOF), which you can admire in the video, is located in Frankfurt (Oder). It is an internationally recognized symphony orchestra and was founded over 170 years ago. And you can proudly say on YouTube and elsewhere that as true experts of orchestral music, you recognize the musicians there – because in the sneak peeks and almost everywhere else, they have only been referred to as a “mysterious German orchestra” – as if there were only one here.

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Source(s):
  1. twitter.com/maclainediemer
  2. www.flickr.com

The Elder Scrolls Online: Werewolves on the list of targets

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 2 minutes

With patch 1.2.4., there are some bug fixes for The Elder Scrolls Online that the last patch brought. However, not all issues can be solved so easily, and the patch also brings a few new difficulties: Werewolves are now on the endangered species list.

We reported last week about the many good things that 1.2.3. brought: The improved lighting conditions are well received, and overall, the gameplay in The Elder Scrolls Online feels more polished now. However, along with the patch, some invaders and bugs snuck into Tamriel, which are now supposed to be removed with 1.2.4.

The holes through which invaders crept into the starter zones of the enemies will belong to the past with today’s bug-fix patch. However, two other problems remain unresolved that were actually supposed to be fixed with 1.2.4. We know this from the US players who practically live in our future when it comes to TESO and always get to enjoy the patches a little earlier.

Teso Vampire

On one hand, a change to a healing spell is causing dramatic FPS drops for some players. Zenimax continues to investigate this. On the other hand, the poor werewolves have been heavily affected. Since the release of The Elder Scrolls Online, they have struggled: They are in the shadow of the vampires. And they were not even granted their moment of omnipotence. Now, there is a combination that turns werewolves into a pile of ash in PvP in no time.

Silver Bolts (a skill from the Fighters Guild line) actually has an exceedingly low chance of dealing massive damage to vampires (the “Silver Bullet to the Heart” effect). Now the patch ensured that damage not only occurs rarely (every 20th shot), but is guaranteed with every hit. The 1.2.4. patch was supposed to eliminate this problem, and it succeeded quite well with vampires. However, it now reliably hits the werewolves in The Elder Scrolls Online. As long as the “Van Helsing” wannabe has activated another ability from the line that makes Silver Bolts lethal for werewolves as well, they will always hit with a silver leaf shot.

Zenimax is currently making adjustments – it is expected that the upcoming patch 1.2.5. will make werewolves somewhat bulletproof again. This will take a week. Until then, they should only enter Cyrodiil in human form or at their own risk. You can find the complete patch notes for 1.2.4. here.

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

WildStar – Soon even more character services

Maria Mehlhorn Maria Mehlhorn Reading time < 1 minutes

Players of World of Warcraft and similar games know this well. After some time, you may not be entirely satisfied with the decisions made during character creation. Although you can go to the barber with gold in your pockets, if a player wants to change their gender, play on a different server, or “reorient” themselves in some way, a real-money fee will be charged.

Carbine Studios also intends to offer paid character customization options for WildStar more frequently in the future. It is already possible to change your home server for a fee, or to give your character a new name.

New Options in Planning

The developers are now reportedly considering further options to offer players specific customizations. It is said that while these innovations will not be implemented in the next or the following patch, there is definitely a plan to “offer players all possible character customizations.”

We are curious about what various customizations Carbine Studios will come up with for the players of WildStar. More important than the fact that these customizations will be introduced, however, is the price. In the case of World of Warcraft, this is often affordable and comparatively reasonable (which, of course, is always a matter of perspective). However, 20 euros for a server transfer or further customizations are also quite controversial, so we are eager to see what pricing policy Carbine Studios will adopt in the case of WildStar.

What customizations have you ever paid for in an MMORPG, and which services would you also pay for in WildStar?

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

WildStar – Only 1 day until the big content patch

Cortyn Cortyn Reading time < 1 minutes

As announced, the developers of Carbine threw out a DevSpeak just a day before the first major content patch for WildStar, shedding light on all aspects of “Mega Loot: Transmutation” in their usual humorous way. We certainly don’t want to withhold this from you.

WildStar: Hoverboard for Transmutation

Furthermore, we have a little side information, fresh from the public test realm: There, the “Transmutation Hoverboard” costs a staggering 100 Platinum. Anyone looking to acquire this ride should start saving as soon as possible.

Last but not least, they are already hinting at what the next update will be about: Here, the PvP players will get their money’s worth, as they are unfortunately neglected in the current patch. However, in 4-6 weeks, they can expect to frolic on a new battleground. In addition to the previous modes “Collect the Masks” and “Domination,” there will be “Sabotage” – stay tuned, we will keep you updated!

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

Final Fantasy XIV: A hit thanks to MMO newcomers and nostalgia

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 2 minutes

Naoki Yoshida, the mind behind Final Fantasy XIV, spoke in an interview about the reasons for the success of Final Fantasy 14: A Realm Reborn. He also highlighted some design decisions, such as the short dungeons and the controller navigation. However, Yoshida primarily attributed the surprising success of the game, which was thought to be dead, to its simple accessibility for MMO newcomers.

Naoki Yoshida exemplifies like few other developers the success of his game. After all, saving the Final Fantasy MMORPG seemed almost impossible. Yet Yoshida accomplished the mission impossible. And FF XIV slowly transformed into a hit with fans and critics. The interviewer from usgamer.net concluded that FF XIV also appealed to players who would never usually touch an MMO.

Always keeping MMO newcomers in mind

Yoshida readily agrees with him. Today, most MMORPG developers try to attract players who are currently playing another MMORPG. This is genre-related difficult. Especially since these games create a strong bond and engage players for two, three years or even longer.

With Final Fantasy, they aimed to appeal to a different player base. And because Final Fantasy was a console game series, it needed to be developed for the consoles, but mainly for their players. So it had to be more accessible and simpler than a conventional MMO. Therefore, they paid attention to develop even complex MMO mechanics in a beginner-friendly manner.

When designing dungeons, they kept in mind players who couldn’t free themselves from their everyday routine for hours. Four-player dungeons through the Duty Finder went quickly and easily, allowing players to accomplish something and then continue with their lives.

Players with controllers should not be disadvantaged

[quote_box_right]final-fantasy-ps4-pc-3Have you read our review of Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn?[/quote_box_right]

When deciding to allow controller navigation, which many console players were accustomed to, the most important thing was that controller players did not feel disadvantaged compared to “mouse and keyboard” players.

After all, keyboards allow every skill to be called up with one click. With controllers, it was always necessary to open a menu, then select a skill… – had it been designed that way, players with controllers would have always been at a disadvantage. When they came up with the cross-hotbar idea, they knew it was the right one. And it has indeed paid off.

A Final Fantasy without Chocobos? Like Disneyland without Mickey Mouse!

When asked about the overall feeling and how much Final Fantasy needs to be in the MMORPG, Yoshida emphasizes that it is, of course, important to have the classic FF elements in the game: “Would it be a Final Fantasy without Chocobos? No, of course not.” That would be like imagining Disneyland without Mickey Mouse.

Of course, they also play with the nostalgia of the fans. Yoshida himself is not free from that. “I played it back on the Super Nintendo and was curious about how it looks in full HD now. Or how the Crystal Tower plays when I go in with 24 friends,” says Yoshida.

The complete interview can be found in English at usgamer.net

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

Youtube in 60 FPS, Hearthstone expansion in July & TESO content patch – Update!

MeinMMO MeinMMO Reading time < 1 minutes

YouTube’s (Upcoming) Changes:

YouTube has made some changes again and more are planned. In addition to a large-scale deletion of inactive accounts, the design has been slightly adjusted, the YouTube Creator Studio has been introduced, and an option for 60 fps in the player is also expected soon.

Curse of Naxxramas in July:

Hearthstone players have been waiting for new cards in the game for quite some time – but the waiting period will soon come to an end. According to the developers’ statements in the official forum, the release of the first expansion “Curse of Naxxramas” is planned for July. Not only will around 30 new cards make their way into the game, but there will also be a new game mode. In this, you will fight against the different bosses of the necropolis and can unlock the new cards.

The Elder Scrolls Online with Patch 1.2.3

And also in The Elder Scrolls Online, something has changed again. Last week, Patch 1.2.3 was deployed to the servers, bringing along some nice changes. Now there is a FoV slider for the first-person perspective, which can be set between 70° and 130° and is supposed to enhance the gameplay experience, weapons and equipment in the world are now more realistic and can be picked up, and the lighting effects have been significantly improved.

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WildStar: Ray of Hope for Players with FPS Issues

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 2 minutes

The SF-MMO WildStar has been out for a month now and while it is praised by many critics and fans, there are still some players who find little joy in the MMORPG: FPS issues ruin their gaming experience. Now, a forum post has raised hopes. Apparently, one of the technicians has found a fix for AMD processors.

The SF-MMO WildStar is not exactly a graphical giant where one would expect frame rates to drop, but that is exactly what is happening to some users, who cannot explain it. Numerous tricks and tips are circulating in the forums. Some help, many do not – we have already presented some of the most popular solutions. Since WildStar relies on fluid frame rates due to its dynamic gameplay, this criticism was already a sensitive issue in beta, was often mentioned, and has likely already prevented some players from buying.

Carbine’s president Jeremy Gaffney reassured players before the release that the performance issues of some are due to the new interface 2.0 and that they would soon optimize it. These hopes were not fulfilled.

But now a post in the official forum gives users hope, especially those who rely on AMD.

„I have incredibly good news! One of our technicians has made a major breakthrough regarding the AMD issue! It is now in the testing phase, keep your fingers crossed for everyone,” reported the Carbine employee Virtue just yesterday.

The fans reacted joyfully to it and hoped that the fix would come as soon as possible. This much enthusiasm was probably too much for Virtue and Carbine. Later, Virtue clarified: “To be clear, this is not magic that fixes all problems. We are still testing it. We do not yet know how much better it will run for AMD users. It should improve performance, but we do not know how much yet.”

Tips: Among the tricks that many users swear by is to delete all files in the following folder: C:Users%username%AppDataRoamingNCSOFTWildStar

Even the latest beta drivers from the graphics card manufacturers may help some.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. forums.wildstar-online.com
  2. forums.wildstar-online.com

The Elder Scrolls Online: Mega Server transfer to Frankfurt is progressing

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time < 1 minutes

In the fantasy MMO The Elder Scrolls Online, there is good news for all players struggling with lags. Apparently, the migration of the megaserver to Frankfurt is progressing well.

But not an endless story?

It almost threatened to become an endless story. After all, the criticism has been a recurring theme throughout the history of TESO. Many players, when the announcement was made that there would be a European mega-server, firmly believed that it would also be located in Europe. However, it is still based in the USA, so that technicians can access it more easily if something goes wrong.

From the beginning, the European mega-server in “Ami-Land,” as many called it, was a point of criticism for the European player base. Time and again, Zenimax emphasized how important the server migration was to them, but the promise of “very soon” in April, shortly after launch, sounded just as soon as the one in May. By early June, it was stated by the head himself, the mega-server will come to Frankfurt this summer, and since then, nothing more has been heard about it. Until now.

In the official forum, the German community manager Kai Schober brings TESO players up to date:

The planned server migration to Frankfurt is progressing. The megaserver there is already running and is being tested.

Also, for the FPS problems that some players have been struggling with since the 1.2.3 patch, Schober brings good news. They should be resolved with a hotfix coming during the next server maintenance from Monday night to Tuesday.

Update 1.7.: According to statements from US players, the FPS problems were unfortunately not resolved with patch 1.2.4. They seem to be related to a change in a healing spell.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. forums.elderscrollsonline.com: Devtracker

Hearthstone: The cards will be reshuffled on Tuesday

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 2 minutes

Blizzard’s card game Hearthstone is starting anew with Season 4 on Tuesday. All ranks will be reset and the chance to earn the Rainbow card back is also gone. However, there will be new opportunities to obtain new cards and a new meta-game is sure to follow.

On Tuesday, the 4th season of the card game, which can be considered one of the surprise hits of the year, will begin. Although it comes from Blizzard, who have proven to have a golden touch with their titles for years, even the seasoned veterans at Blizzard probably never dreamed that Hearthstone would be such a massive success.

Originally, it was supposed to be announced on July 1st what the new prices for the cards of the Naxxramas expansion would be. However, this has since been postponed in a forum post. Apparently, we aren’t that far yet.

Will the new card back be green and purple?

Hearthstone Leak

Blizzard has already promised that there will be a new card back in Season 4, but it has not been revealed yet. The five card backs shown in the beta are all available now, so players can expect a surprise. The colleagues at cinemablend believe they have spotted a new card back with a green and purple background in the recently leaked screenshots of Naxx. The colors of Naxx, so to speak.

With the new season, there will also be a new race to see who will be the first to reach Legendary status. Veterans who performed well in Season 3 will have a slight advantage over newcomers: They receive a bonus star for each rank.

A constantly evolving meta-game is also expected for Season 4. Instead of the dominating decks of Season 3 like Miracle Rogue or Headlock, unusual Priest decks or New Age Frost decks could be in play, with which top players Amaz and RDU made headlines at Dreamhack.

My MMO hopes for Mister Bigglesworth

By the way, our tip for the Naxxramas expansion, as not all cards have been revealed yet: We would be surprised if the pack comes without the necromancer lord Kel’Thuzad’s favorite cat. Mister Bigglesworth could appear as a card that the opposing player would be better off avoiding killing. After all, the theme of the expansion is “Deathrattle”. And the death of Mister Bigglesworth has always been a delicate matter.

While there have always been wild rumors in Naxxramas that the loot table changed with the demise of the furball, this has never been confirmed.

But one thing is for sure: Kel’Thuzad got angry every time! What impact could that have on his card in the game?

Update 01.07.: The suspected card back has been confirmed. It is the one from Naxx with purple/green colors.

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

TERA: No direct continuation

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time < 1 minutes

After several job postings and concept art, rumors have persisted for over a year that a direct sequel to the action MMO TERA was in the works. Bluehole Studios has now denied this, but presented some new projects.

There will not be a Tera 2 as a direct successor, as stated by the CEO of Bluehole Studios, according to a report by mmoculture, to the Chinese media. The games “Project W” and “Project Exa” are similar to Tera in that both are set in a western fantasy environment. Both “Projects” are still in an early development stage, but will feature a brand-new combat system that has never been seen in an online game before.

They are currently also developing the turn-based mobile game “Elin Expansion”, which takes place in the world of Tera and aims to bring the background story of Tera closer to people who may not relate to long sessions on PC and are not “core gamers”.

My MMO believes: These rumors have been around since May 2013, and we have also listed Tera 2 in our MMO Sequel Special. Apparently, Bluehole Studios is now taking a different direction. Why it takes almost 14 months to dispel such a persistent rumor that they themselves have put into the world with a job posting is something only the gods or the higher dignitaries at Bluehole know. It seems they did not dislike the publicity too much.

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

World of Tanks: Blitz is just the beginning of mobile offensive

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time < 1 minutes

Rob Carrol, the producer of Wargaming for North America, spoke at the launch event of the new Mobile App Blitz about the studio’s plans for the future. Versions of World of Warplanes and World of Warships for iOS could also be coming soon – further ports of World of Tanks are also quite conceivable.

In an interview with the English-language magazine news10, Rob Carrol discussed Wargaming’s decision to release a mobile version of the tank MMO World of Tanks: “For us, it was a logical step and simply made sense. Gaming is moving in this direction. Many players are no longer necessarily looking for the big experience in their living rooms, but want something they can take with them and play on the go.”

In Blitz, three countries are playable: the USSR, Germany, and Great Britain. Players have 90 tanks to choose from, and at the moment, unfortunately, no artillery yet, but in a lively game like Blitz, players can expect that the selection will grow later.

World of Tanks Goes Mobile

Further ports of World of Tanks to other systems are also planned. When asked whether World of Tanks would be developed for platforms beyond the current three, Carrol replied: “I think they are in the works, we haven’t announced anything publicly yet, but we will expand there.”

World of Tanks is merely the crown jewel in Wargaming’s reservoir of war simulations. When asked whether the sister games World of Warplanes and World of Warships would also come to mobile systems, the PlayStation family, or the WiiU, Carrol told the magazine: “We have more titles in development for mobile platforms.” A specific title has not yet been presented, but players can be sure that more is on the way.

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  1. news10.net: Wargaming talks 'World of Tanks Blitz', guarantees future new titles

Guild Wars 2: Popularity Boost thanks to Gollum

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time < 1 minutes

The filming of a Guild Wars 2 commercial brought about a much higher PR success in Asia than planned.

Bigfoot, Sasquatch, and the Loch Ness Monster are regularly sighted, just like the gray and thin aliens who always want to do things with our body openings. But Gollum? And yet: There he was. A Chinese tourist saw the oddly malformed creature, who always babbled about its treasure in the Lord of the Rings movies, by the shore of a small river. Apparently, the villain was drinking.

Guild Wars 2 Gollum

Immediately, the Chinese tourist (caution stereotype) pulled out the camera he had with him and took some photos of the strange creature with the huge ears. He posted them online, and the thing became an internet hit, reaching 16 million clicks, spreading on social networks, and making it onto several websites.

But there was a very earthly explanation for Gollum: Filming was taking place by the river for a new Guild Wars 2 commercial. And Gollum was not even Gollum, but an actor in an Asura costume who went to the river to drink during a short break in filming.

A much better free advertisement for their game could not have been dreamed up by ArenaNet.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. www.telegraph.co.uk
  2. kotaku.com

TERA – Extensive update with 5 dungeons on the way

Dawid Hallmann Dawid Hallmann Reading time 2 minutes

In the action MMORPG TERA Rising, a major content update has been announced for July, promising players a hot summer in Arborea. Just recently, we reported on the newly introduced Elin class, the Blade Dancer. But this was just the beginning of the content stream. A total of five new dungeons, a revamped extraction system, and improved equipment items will be unleashed on the European servers in a few weeks.

5 new dungeons, including a real hit

  • Lakan’s Prison (5-player)
  • Stealth Hideout (1-player)
  • Edge of the Abyss (Normal/Hardmode, 10-player)
  • The Abscess (Normal, 7-player)
  • The Abscess (Hardmode, 5-player)

In the official TERA forum, core gamers are particularly looking forward to the 5-man hardmode dungeon “The Abscess.” A very challenging instance that recently debuted on the Korean server. This dungeon not only introduces new boss mechanics but is also expected to properly challenge players again, similar to the hardmode of Shandra Manaya. The “Queen,” which two years after her debut still regularly causes wipe sessions, is finally going to get a worthy successor. A good reason for progress-oriented players to return to the threatened dream world of TERA. But the other challenges also promise interesting mechanics, spectacular bosses, and a lot of variety.

Crafting expansion and equal opportunities in PvP?

The developers are also striving not only to integrate new content but to improve the current areas of the online role-playing game. For example, the crafting part of the Asian MMO TERA Rising will be expanded with a new rank. An extraction system will also allow players to gain valuable materials for the T14 and T15 sets. This means you will be able to craft even more powerful items in the future.

Canyon of Honor Tera

With caution: The forum is also speculating about equalized equipment in PvP, based on a patch in Korea that could also be included in this update. It’s quite possible that PvP gear in the battleground “Canyon of Honor” will no longer matter, but only the players’ skills and class. This route has already been taken with other instanced player-versus-player content. Changes are also expected for the Nexus system, the dynamic events in the endgame. Whether and to what extent the Korean patches will be adopted and what other innovations will follow with the upcoming content expansion will be revealed to you very soon. At the latest, when the patch notes are released.

“Wounded World” in America from July 8 – and when in Europe?

US players will be able to welcome the big update, named “Wounded World”, starting from July 8, 2014, on their servers. The exact date for the European servers is not yet fixed, but according to the German community manager, the release should definitely take place in July. It is likely that this will be 1-2 weeks behind the American date. Of course, we will keep you updated as the publisher Gameforge announces more information about “Wounded World”.

Until then, enjoy the video from the American publisher EnMasse, which provides insights into the dungeon “The Abscess”. However, this features the normal mode designed for 7 players. On their theme page for Wounded World, you can also watch more gameplay trailers.

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Source(s):
  1. board.tera.gameforge.com
  2. de.tera.gameforge.com

The Elder Scrolls Online: Will PS4 and Xbox release be delayed to 2015?

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 2 minutes

Currently, there are signs emerging for the fantasy MMO The Elder Scrolls Online, TESO, that the console release for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One may no longer take place in 2014 as originally planned, but could be postponed until March 2015.

TESO was originally supposed to be released for consoles in early June, but this was cancelled a few weeks before the planned release date. Ironically, the information about the delay became known due to an error by Zenimax too early. The internet speculated for half a day about what was behind it, coming up with rather unfriendly ideas, as the game had already gone through a rough patch and suffered from mixed reviews and some teething problems.

In the evening, Zenimax clarified that the problems with the port were actually greater than previously assumed. While progress was being made, they would still need another six months. Therefore, they are postponing the release until the end of the year. By then, console players could already play on PC and later transfer their account to their next-gen console of choice for a small fee. They would not need to repurchase the base game for the consoles.

The Elder Scrolls Online: PS4 and Xbox

Shortly after, Paul Sage, one of the key figures at Zenimax, was asked about the topic at ign.com, and they wanted to know when the console release was expected. Sage replied that they were doing everything to get the game on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One by 2014. However, no guarantees could be made.

In a recent interview with gamingbolt.com, the statement became even vaguer. Here, Sage made it clear that they would no longer engage in speculation on the matter.

A blow for console fans now: Amazon has set the release date for TESO on Xbox One and PS4 to March 31, 2015. The reasoning behind this decision by Amazon is still unknown. So far, there has been no definitive statement from Zenimax. However, the signs do not look good.

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

WildStar thinks Olympic: Gold is not everything

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 3 minutes

In the SF-MMO WildStar, veteran dungeons proved to be detrimental to players’ morale. Randomly assembled groups would break up after the first mistake, as the sought-after gold reward was no longer attainable. Carbine is now working on this. Additionally, they are addressing the FPS issues faced by AMD users. Is a breakthrough on the horizon?

“Gold or Bust” Comes to an End

At Mein MMO, we apparently had the right instinct with our article about the toxic atmosphere in WildStar’s dungeons. The problem is that player groups must not make mistakes to complete a veteran dungeon with “gold.” When mistakes occur, players become frustrated and the group disbands. There’s no incentive for some to finish the instance now. This is because they’re after particularly strong items that are only available to gold winners: “Gold or Bust” – a do-or-die slogan.

This is where Carbine steps in. They want to maintain the difficulty of the instance and not lower the level of gold runs, while offering players an incentive to complete an instance even when gold is no longer attainable. They’re adjusting the crucial elements: the loot.

Epics for Everyone, But Is There a Little More for Gold Winners?

The current gold rewards that top items can bring will be decoupled from the gold rewards and linked to the final bosses or completion challenges of adventures and dungeons.

Each earned medal will grant players bonus rolls on the instance-wide loot and additionally provide gold (the currency this time) to the struggling adventurers’ coffers, as well as bonus EXP. For bronze, there’s one roll, for silver two, and for gold three additional rolls. The changes are expected to take effect soon, but only after the “Strain” drop, which is anticipated in early July.

Community Divided: Are Top Players Now at a Disadvantage?

The changes will make it more important to complete a dungeon at all rather than perfecting it. As noted in several statements, there was dissatisfaction among WildStar about the number of players who actually complete a veteran dungeon.

Dungeons in WildStar

Proposed changes from the community included making “gold” or “medal” runs identifiable in the group finder or giving a group the option to “reset” the instance. In a poll on Mein MMO.de, nearly 70% of around 190 participants voted for a change to the system.

Currently, the details of the change remain unclear. Whether groups that complete a veteran dungeon on gold will receive a “guaranteed” item of higher quality or if their chances of receiving one will simply increase is not yet clear from Carbine’s previous statements. The community is divided over the announced change. While some players welcome it as the only right step, others view Carbine as heading towards “welfare epics,” which already ruined Blizzard’s World of Warcraft.

Is an End to Performance Issues for AMD Users on the Horizon?

Aside from the issues with the overly elite end game, many WildStar players are grappling with performance problems. Especially players who swear by an AMD system have been battling issues and plummeting frame rates. For them, there is now a silver lining on the horizon. Carbine employee Virtue posted the following in the official forum:

I’ve got incredibly good news for you next week… One of our Engineers had a major breakthrough on AMD stuff this afternoon (it’s in testing right now) and affects AMD CPUs.

One of Carbine’s technicians seems to have solved the gordian knot surrounding AMD processors. This is currently in a testing phase and could be deployed as soon as next week.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. forums.wildstar-online.com

ArcheAge, WildStar, TESO: MMOs and their bot problems

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 2 minutes

The upcoming MMO with sandbox elements ArcheAge is struggling with bots and gold sellers just like before The Elder Scrolls Online and WildStar. The special thing about ArcheAge is that it is still in alpha and access costs 135 euros.

ArcheAge: Even in Alpha, you struggle with bot infestation

16,000 accounts have been banned for illegally using bots or disturbing their fellow players with gold spam, even during the alpha. Some may wonder: “16,000 accounts at an entry fee of 135 euros, have the botters spent 2.2 million euros just to be banned now? And can Trion Worlds really afford to lose such an amount?”

It’s not that simple. Trion Worlds has stated that the botters gained access to the alpha through ” ill-gotten funds,” meaning they acquired funds illegally. This means that players are not losing 2 million euros; it is likely that the transfer requests or credit cards the botters used to “pay” for their accounts were already declined.

The Elder Scrolls Online: That’s why there were bot trains in Kalthafen

TESO Gamemaster

Especially The Elder Scrolls Online has been struggling with real bot trains in recent months. First, they were in the caves, then in the cities, then in the in-game mail system, and finally even in the official forum of Zenimax. The game masters decided to take a public step, personally removing bots from the caves where they hunted cave bosses.

Here as well, the developers are in a constant battle with gold sellers and botters. In a recent forum post, a user explained what is happening behind the scenes. The “bot trains” of level 3 players in the city of Kargstein, which is usually reserved for endgame, can be explained by the existence of an introductory quest that rewarded 300 gold. Many botters exploited this to their advantage and teleported directly from the starting area to a level 3 bot friend on site.

One of the changes from the last patch affected the botters subtly: From now on, you can only delete 3 characters per day (so with a full account, you can only create three new ones).

WildStar: The botters on the paths of Monty Python

In the new MMO WildStar, it has been martially announced that the botters will be crushed in the best “Games of Thrones” style. Due to clever mechanics, gold spammers have now been banned from the capitals. However, this does not prevent the gold sellers from approaching players in other and more intimate ways. For a while, they used invites to arena teams, then the in-game mail system. At first, they pretended to be a dear friend “Dear Friend!”; then they posed as the auction house “You won an auction!” and now they are sending Protostar rations, which means sandwiches, along with spam mail.

And somehow, this brings us full circle. The English word “spam” once only meant a type of ham in our youth. In a sketch by the cult comedians Monty Python, this word was repeated more than 120 times in a few minutes, which is how it gained its new meaning.

Who would have thought that ham would one day smell so bad to us MMO players.

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