Players of Once Human on Steam are struggling with severe lags. The developers have now spoken out and provided an update on this issue.
What’s causing the lags? Since the release of Once Human on July 9, 2024, the game has been battling various issues. For instance, features that were initially missing have been added after player feedback. Cheaters are also a problem in the free-to-play Once Human, with the studio having banned many of them by now.
The lags, however, are a point that significantly impacts the gaming experience. The developers at Starry Studio are aware of this. To calm the waves of angry players, they have addressed the issue in a blog post on Discord.
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Im Survival-Spiel Once Human müsst ihr zusammenarbeiten
The cause of the lags is known
What do the developers say? About a week ago, the studio promised to address the lags. Since then, little has improved. The developers have now commented on Discord:
We have heard that some players are still experiencing lag issues despite our previous announcement. Rest assured that our team has identified the cause and is diligently working to resolve it. Some players may still be affected, but we want to assure you that we are doing everything we can to fix this problem, even over the weekend.
Additionally, the developers apologize to the affected players for the inconvenience and thank them for their understanding. The exact cause of the lags has not been revealed by the developers. However, in the meantime, they provide a tip that can help reduce the lags until the next patch.
What’s the tip? The developers advise you to install Once Human on an SSD. Compared to HDDs, SSDs are significantly faster in data transfer. According to Starry Studio, this should automatically resolve some of the lag issues.
Actors receive many job offers throughout their career, not all of which they accept. Often, this is a good decision, but sometimes one regrets rejecting an offer, as the role turned out to be rewarding for other actors. This was also the case for Harrison Ford, who declined a role that won an Oscar.
Which role is it? In 2005, the film Syriana was released, starring Matt Damon and George Clooney. The political thriller deals with the oil industry and its connections to the Middle East. Various stories of extremism, greed, and the politics behind them are intertwined.
According to Box Office Mojo, the film grossed almost 94 million dollars (about 86 million euros) against a budget of 50.8 million dollars (approximately 46.6 million euros). Additionally, the film won several awards, including the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for George Clooney. This role was almost played by Harrison Ford. However, he declined and regretted it.
Syriana – Trailer for the thriller about the oil business in the USA
I think I made a mistake
In the film, George Clooney plays CIA agent Bob Barnes. Originally, the role was offered to Harrison Ford, but he turned it down. According to Far Out Magazine, he revealed in an interview that he rejected the role because he did not believe in the truth of the source material. However, he later regretted declining the offer.
I saw part of Steve Gaghan’s movie Syriana, and I wish I had played the role offered to me – the role of George […] I think I made a mistake.
According to the interview, Ford also believes that the film underwent changes and became more truthful later. Things he thought were not true were no longer in it after he declined.
Throughout his career, Ford never won an Oscar. He received a nomination for Best Actor for his role in Witness. However, the role paid off for George Clooney. To this day, it is his only Oscar for his acting. In the film Argo, he received the Oscar for Best Picture in 2013 along with Ben Affleck and Grant Heslov. Strange things happen at the Oscars occasionally, just like in 2003: Once, a person was nominated for an Oscar who didn’t even exist.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
On Sunday, July 21, the SF game No Man’s Sky reached 48,499 concurrent players on Steam. The game had a higher number in August 2019, five years ago. The player counts are further fueled by a Steam Sale. Hello Games’ Managing Director, Sean Murray, celebrates the success.
Here’s how the developer feels: Sean Murray cheers for “#1 in the Steam charts.”
He writes that he loves how the community welcomes so many new players with open arms.
Currently, No Man’s Sky is discounted by 60%.
The reviews from the last 30 days are outstanding at 93% positive:
A player with 185 hours writes: One of the last developers who is not greedy.
A player with 9,300 hours praises: No Man’s Sky saved his inner space cadet because it taught him to get off his structure obsession and let himself drift through space. Though the review appears to be inauthentic.
The First Descendant is struggling with players who play unfairly for various reasons. That’s why many have now been banned, which can also happen to you if you do not adhere to a few rules.
What is the situation in The First Descendant? The shooter is free to play and therefore particularly vulnerable to all kinds of players who do not play honestly. For this reason, the developer and publisher Nexon is now taking strong action and is causing a stir with a wave of bans.
The intention is simple: the developers want everyone to have the same chances in the game and no one to gain an unfair advantage. Because not all players see it that way, parts of the community have been banned. Specifically, the accounts of over 1,300 players in The First Descendant have been locked. What can you do to prevent this?
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Looter-Shooter The First Descendant announces its release date in the trailer
Avoid “unauthorized programs”
What led to the bans? On their website, the developers briefly explain why they made this step and the over 1,300 bans.
The vast majority of all players were banned for using “unauthorized programs.” The developers do not explain exactly what is meant by this. However, it likely refers to third-party programs that assist you in the game. Programs like aim-bots could be involved, which are rather unusual in a PvE shooter like The First Descendant.
It is best to avoid any additional software and play the game as it is.
But cheats are not the only problem: Another 428 players were banned because they exploited bugs. Especially in connection with the store in the game, “unfair gains through exploitation of the payment processes” can be obtained.
This means nothing other than that Nexon wants you to pay for the paid store content and not obtain it in other ways.
Additionally, Nexon published the list of all banned players, similar to what recently happened with Once Human, on the game’s website.
This is to ensure that players play honestly and without tricks in the future. If you adhere to this, you should not have any problems and should be able to prevent a ban. Of course, there are also tricks in The First Descendant that you can use completely without concern and almost legally. For example, you can easily defeat the bosses – read on MeinMMO to find out what the trick is.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Diablo 4 introduces a new feature with Vessel of Hatred that you probably already know from Diablo 3 and Diablo 2: companions, or Companions. In the expansion, these NPCs are called mercenaries and are apparently much more extensive than before.
With Vessel of Hatred, there are now mercenaries who are supposed to serve as permanent companions. 4 different Companions with their own abilities and advantages are already known, and there are said to be a total of 6.
In the preview, the Companions already sounded similar to the mercenaries from Diablo 2. Now, thanks to gameplay of the Spiritborn, we have some more information.
Here is the new detail: The experts from wowhead have been able to derive some functions of the mercenaries from a single item. The item is actually just a new resource that will come with Vessel of Hatred: “Pale Marks”, which translates roughly to “Pale Badges”.
These badges directly bring hints of several features:
The resource itself is used to purchase trade agreements and items through barter.
These contracts are available in the “Mercenary Den”, which is the hideout of the mercenaries. This is also new information.
You receive the badges by increasing the rapport with the mercenaries. This works through “various activities”.
From rank 5 with one of the mercenaries, you can engage in barter with them.
The entire mercenary feature is thus apparently tied to a reputation system. The screenshot was taken by the experts from the gameplay of the barbarian icon Rob, who, as he said, completely overlooked the detail in his own recordings (via YouTube).
This is how the Spiritborn plays, the new class in Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred
Mercenaries in Vessel of Hatred – More than the companions in Diablo 3
Compared to the NPCs from previous titles, the feature now clearly has much more behind it. In Diablo 2 and Diablo 3, mercenaries could accompany you, but you could only skill and equip them to a certain degree.
You could take companions with you who either supported you, could tank for you, or even became so strong that they dealt damage as almost a fully-fledged character by your side.
Now in Diablo 4, the mercenaries are, according to current information, more of a separate faction with which you gather reputation. However, we do not yet know to what extent you can equip and level the NPCs yourself.
New movies and series come out weekly on Netflix, which stack up over the years and are forgotten. A film from 2020 seems to be the perfect erotic thriller for fans of 50 Shades of Grey.
Which film is it about? The film Fatal Affair was released in 2020 on Netflix. The film was produced by and exclusively for the streamer. Ellie, played by Nia Long, moves with her husband to a new suburb. However, their marriage doesn’t seem to be working well.
In her job, she meets her old friend David, played by Omar Epps. There seems to be chemistry between them, as they get dangerously close during a club night. However, Ellie quickly ends the affair, but David is more dangerous than he seems.
You can watch the first trailer for Fatal Affair here:
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Fatal Affair – Trailer for the erotic thriller on Netflix
An erotic thriller in the shadow of You
With You – You Will Love Me, Netflix achieved a series hit. The mix of eroticism and pathological obsession has captivated many viewers. Fatal Affair seems like a film that attempts something similar. Here, the main theme is also obsession. A classic stalker story that has been told many times.
Despite the exciting premise, the film has not been successful among critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a critic score of 18% based on 38 reviews. The user score is also very poor at 16% based on over 100 reviews.
What does the film do wrong? The most important thing about a thriller is the tension. The atmosphere that keeps the viewer engaged. According to critics, Fatal Affair fails in this regard. Despite its short runtime of only 1.5 hours, the film manages to create boredom. The film feels too constructed. There seems to be little new done with the stalker trope.
What does the film do right? Despite the harsh criticism, there are also aspects of the film that are praised by critics. Foremost are the two main actors Nia Long as the protagonist and Omar Epps as the stalker. Many see the performance of the two actors as a bright spot.
Why should you watch the film despite the poor reviews? A frequently mentioned criticism is the illogical behavior of the characters, but for many, this is part of a fun evening with perhaps mediocre horror and thriller films.
In January, the new MMORPG Ravendawn launched, impressing players with its old-school charm. A major update with new content is expected next month.
Which game is this about? Ravendawn is a free MMORPG set in a classic fantasy world, which many players may not have even heard of yet. The game can only be downloaded from the official website of Tavernlight Games and is not available on Steam or other platforms.
Ravendawn launched on January 16, 2024, and became a surprising success. However, it had to face some criticism afterward. Among other things, because housing was not functioning and due to a Pay2Win mechanic that has since been revised.
It is an open-world sandbox MMORPG where players are heavily responsible for the economy.
The game features charming pixel graphics and is played from an isometric perspective.
With a larger update, the developers want to fix this, and at least the trailer is already exciting the players.
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Ravendawn update starts in August
What does the update bring? The bigger update for Ravendawn is set to go live on August 9, 2024, as the trailer announces. Promises include not only gameplay improvements but also PvP and PvE content. The trailer shows what gameplay against and alongside other players will look like.
We have already compiled more about the new content in the update for you here:
Alongside the new multiplayer content, the game will also feature two new professions. With the new update, a profession in herbalism and alchemy will be available.
What are the reactions? Looking at the comments under the trailer (via YouTube), players seem very excited about the new content. “The PvE stuff is something I am extremely looking forward to,” states one comment. Many players express similar sentiments in their comments.
It is evident that especially these new multiplayer aspects are exciting. One user writes that he has been waiting exactly for this. “I’ve found my new home. Thank you for that,” writes another user in their comment.
Normally, the mangaka of One Piece, Eiichiro Oda, draws his stories with his right hand, as he is right-handed. However, for a promotion of a messaging service, Oda drew many characters with his left hand. Some fans wish there would be a separate manga for this.
What kind of promotion is this? On the occasion of the 27th anniversary of the manga, Oda drew many characters from the One Piece universe with his left hand. Among them are all members of the Straw Hat crew, but also other characters like Enel, who has taken refuge elsewhere, can be seen.
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The characters are now available as stickers on LINE. Unfortunately, the stickers are not available in Germany. LINE is the equivalent of WhatsApp and is increasingly used in Japan, which is why the promotion is intended for that area.
Additionally, the stickers are adorned with some Japanese sayings that match the characters.
The sketches do not look as good as the originals. The outlines are messier than in the originals and there are no detailed facial features, as Oda would manage with his right hand.
Some of them even give fans nightmares. Yet most of the manga characters excite the fans.
One Piece also has some cool ships:
Start video
One Piece: These are the 5 coolest ships sailing the oceans
Fans wish for a manga with Oda’s left hand
What do the fans say about this? In the reddit forum, many users believe that Oda should release some short stories featuring the characters drawn with his left hand. The art style looks interesting enough for that.
One user even thinks that Jimbei and Hiyori look as if Oda drew them with his right hand. Even the mermaid princess Shirahoshi and Big Mom could appear like this in the manga.
Many readers in the reddit forum wish for a separate manga with these iconic characters.
Some users are also excited that Oda can draw so well even with his weaker hand. Some people couldn’t even draw that well with their dominant hand. User Chileinsg writes that Oda’s left hand has more skill than his entire body combined.
However, there is one character that causes nightmares for users. Nico Robin was mistaken for Trebol by one user, and the scene from the anime, where she pleads for her life, would likely cause distress among readers.
In Old School RuneScape, a player showed no mercy. The population of chickens was sustainably reduced – to save gold.
The beauty of MMORPGs is that all players can set their own goals to pursue. But that is also the strange thing about these titles. Because while some goals may seem obvious – such as farming resources or defeating bosses – other goals are a bit more curious.
In Old School RuneScape, a player has extinguished the life lights of a certain species a whopping 16,000 times. A lot of chickens had to give up their feathers.
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Old School RuneScape – Trailer for the Steam Release
What did the player do? As MordorMordorMordor proves with a screenshot in the Old School RuneScape subreddit, he has had quite a long week. He has knocked 16,005 chickens to the digital afterlife and taken a total of 100,000 feathers from them.
A feat that very likely no one else has accomplished – because the benefit is extremely low.
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What does it bring? The 100,000 feathers are mainly needed to make arrows and connect them with the arrow shaft.
The only catch is: feathers can be bought from NPCs and no one really needs to farm them manually. But that evidently didn’t stop MordorMordorMordor from declaring a bloody crusade against the feathered livestock.
He writes: “They are too expensive and therefore I’m not training combat with them.”
And on a side note: “Also, I like my feathers soaked in blood.”
Special chickens with great performance: In the over 16,000 battles against chickens, there were also some incidents that MordorMordorMordor lists separately – because not every battle is alike.
There have been multiple instances he calls “Clucky Balboa”: a chicken that was defeated only after 5 attacks. In addition, there was a fight where MordorMordorMordor inflicted 0 damage three times in a row. That is quite unlikely – and quite remarkable. Because chickens are at level 1 and have only a measly 3 hit points. They are among the weakest creatures in the game and even have negative defense, making it easier for the attacker to land a hit.
There was also an incident that MMORPG veterans from all games should know. Because a series of 8 chickens in a row simply had no feathers. One wonders where the animals have hidden them.
In September 2024, the next expansion of the Pokémon Trading Card Game will be released. We are already giving you an exclusive look at 2 cards from the new expansion.
What kind of cards are they? Most of you are likely familiar with the trading cards of Pokémon. The trading card game was released in Japan in 1996 and in Germany 3 years later. To this day, the game remains very popular.
It doesn’t matter whether you focus on collecting or battling: both are possible with the Pokémon Trading Card Game. While the value of old cards sometimes skyrocket to unbelievable heights, new expansions with new cards are still being released.
The next expansion is called Crimson & Purple – Stellar Crown. We have already had a sneak peek at 2 of the new cards, which we obviously do not want to withhold from you.
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3 games like Pokémon Go
2 new cards from Stellar Crown introduced
Below you will find an exclusive look at the 2 cards from the new expansion. These are the mysterious Pokémon Jirachi and a Trainer card.
Jirachi (Basic card)
80 HP
Attacks: Growing Wish and Strike
Brianna (Supporter card)
Effect: You can only use this card if your opponent has exactly 2 remaining Prize cards. If your opponent’s Active Pokémon is knocked out by damage from one of your Terra Crystal Pokémon’s attacks during this turn, take 1 more Prize card.
On the official Pokémon site, there is already more information about the expansion. The expansion will include over 170 cards. This includes new Pokémon-ex cards, new ASS-CLASS cards, more than 20 Trainer cards, and more than 30 Pokémon and Trainer cards with special illustrations.
When will the new expansion be released? Stellar Crown will be available on September 13, 2024, and will be purchasable from that date.
What do you think about the exclusive cards from the next expansion? Are you interested in the trading card game? If so, are you more into collecting, or do you also actively battle? Feel free to share your opinion in the comments.
A small company from Canada has been operating a successful sci-fi MMO on Steam for over 10 years: Warframe. What are they doing right, where large companies like EA fail with their games like Anthem? The head, Steve Sinclair, explains in an interview.
Warframe stabilized at an average of 12,000 players on Steam in 2013. While most other games rapidly lose players after launch, Warframe was able to maintain and even grow these player numbers. In August 2015, it suddenly had 30,000 players
Over the years, Warframe has seen a strong influx thanks to attractive patches: in 2017 it peaked at 62,000 players, in 2018 even at 76,000 – in recent years it has stabilized between 42,000 and 64,000 concurrent players. The studio is currently working on a new game, a fantasy MMO.
Start video
Warframe shows new trailer for the upcoming expansion ‘1999’ at Tennocon 2024
Large publishers place too much emphasis on the numbers at release
This is what the developer says now: In an interview with VGC, the head of the studio, Steve Sinclair, accuses big publishers of simply not understanding live service games properly and also evaluating such MMOs like regular games:
They think that release is an all-or-nothing thing, but that is not true. They have a financial opportunity to be persistent, and they never do. It comes out, doesn’t work, and they throw it away.
“Isn’t it a shame?”
He adds:
Is it not a shame when you invest so many years of your life into the development of these systems or the advancement of technologies or the building of a community, and then, because the operating costs are high, you get scared when you see the numbers dropping, and you leave.
We have seen this happen with amazing releases that, in my opinion, have huge potential, and I think they are discarded too soon.
Which games does he mean? He does not say, but every MMO fan will probably think of Anthem, which resembled Warframe and had enormous potential that was never realized.
EA even wanted to revise Anthem and had a team work for a year on a concept for Anthem Next or Anthem 2.0. But when the time came to decide whether to really go through with it, EA thumbed down.
EA gave up Anthem in favor of a new Dragon Age. With Apex Legends and the sports games, they had other irons in the fire.
NCSoft is also considered a studio that gives up “western MMORPGs” too soon, such as WildStar or City of Heroes. FunCom was similarly accused of this by fans with Age of Conan.
Are there also examples of large publishers who have done it right? Yes, Ubisoft has long supported and improved two games, The Division 1 and Rainbow Six Siege, that had their weaknesses at release. However, with The Division 2, they failed to do that.
Bethesda has treated The Elder Scrolls Online well and – with some exceptions – Fallout 76 as well.
Square Enix is known to have saved Final Fantasy XIV. Fans of the MMORPG have thanked the mind behind the game’s rescue, Naoki Yoshida, a thousand times since then. He is greatly revered. In fact, there are several MMOs or live service games, as they are called today, that have turned it around after a bad launch: 6 MMOs and online games that managed to turn it around after a bad launch
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Valby is a descendant in The First Descendant who can control the battlefield with water. Her strengths lie in CC, as she can deal significant area damage with her element. Therefore, we present to you a strong build that allows you to easily dismantle large groups of enemies.
What kind of build is this? This is a CC build that allows you to zip through your enemies and deal constant critical damage to them. Valby masters the water element and can thus liquefy, create puddles, and weaken enemies to inflict even more damage.
Valby is excellent for defeating many smaller enemies at once. That is why she is also the top choice for farming gold. We will now show you in our overview which components you need and which weapons you should use in combination with Valby.
Start video
The First Descendant: Encrypted Safes – What is it and how do you find them?
Valby Build: All Components at a Glance
Reactor: Matter Mechanics Reactor
Focuses on:
Skill Cooldown
Skill Duration Up
External Components: Acrobat Set
Provides bonuses depending on how many pieces you have:
Effect for 2 pieces: Skill Power +1.7%, Firearm ATK +2.8%
Effect for 4 pieces: Firearm Critical Hit Rate +5.9%, Skill Critical Hit Rate +21%
Modules:
Supply Moister (increases Skill Critical Hit Rate, Skill Duration, and Firearm Attribute Trigger Rate in water)
HP Collector (defeating an enemy instantly restores 9% of your maximum HP)
Emergency Measures (Skill Critical Hit Rate +16%, Skill Critical Hit Damage +7%)
Time Distribution (Skill Cooldown -4%, Max HP +13%)
Focus on Non-Attribute (Skill Non-Attribute Power +19%, Skill Cooldown -6.1%)
Focus on Dimension (Skill Dimension Power Modifier +17%, Skill Cooldown -6.1%)
Shock Punch
Skill Insight (Increases Skill Critical Hit Rate by 14%)
Skill Expansion (Increases Skill Range by 12%)
Nimble Fingers (reduces Skill Cooldown)
Important about the modules: For Valby, it’s important to focus on four things when deciding on modules: reduce Skill Cooldown, increase Skill Duration, and increase Skill Crit Damage and Skill Range. The remaining modules are a matter of preference and can be swapped out depending on the setting. Therefore, our suggested modules are not a must, but a rough direction you can pursue and modify.
How does the build work? Depending on the danger situation you are in, you have to choose between three skills:
Bubble Ball: Throw a bubble ball at your enemies and create a puddle. This continuously deals damage to your enemies and applies wetness. (more for distance)
Blubb Blubb: Creates a large puddle where you stand and dive into. Now you jump out at a chosen spot, deal continuous damage through the puddle, and apply wetness to enemies.
Wetness: Valby increases her movement speed but cannot leave the ground. She skates through the environment, leaving a liquid trail that deals damage and applies wetness to your enemies. Additionally, Valby gains more defense in this state.
The most important skill is especially “Wetness”, as this quickly soaks your enemies and creates massive area damage. Since all enemies in your puddles are afflicted with “Wetness”, you should wield a weapon with no attributes or electrical damage.
The enemies are vulnerable to these damage types due to this debuff. So slide through your enemies with Valby and shoot them with your chosen weapons. This way, you can quickly and easily eliminate many enemies.
Be sure to always stand in your puddles, as the passive skill “Water Supply” reduces your MP costs for the skills used.
Valby Build: All Weapons You Need
Weapons that Valby should wield are rare, but these enhance in combination with “Wetness” the damage you can deal. You should choose the following options:
All Weapons at a Glance:
Thunder Cage
Blue Beetle
Why are these weapons so good? The Thunder Cage is the perfect synergy for the debuff “Wetness”. The MP generates electric explosions with some luck when you defeat enemies with it. Since your enemies are vulnerable to electrical damage due to your Valby skills, they are defeated even faster with the Thunder Cage.
The Blue Beetle is the perfect choice if you want to fire at medium distances. When using fusion skills, you gain the effect “Arcane Energy”. This effect increases your fire rate and Skill Critical Hit Rate. This is suitable when you zip around with Valby and activate “Wetness”.
That was our Valby build for you. What do you think of the descendant? Have you already soaked many enemies in your surroundings or have you built your own build? Feel free to exchange ideas with other users about it. If you are looking for a build for Bunny, we have the right one for you: The First Descendant: Bunny Build – This is how you defeat your enemies while jumping past them
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Pokémon GO there are some special research tasks that you can spend a long time on. A trainer is now showing a message that very few of you might know.
What are special research tasks? Special research tasks are quests in Pokémon GO that you can receive during certain events or times. You have unlimited time to complete them.
There are special research tasks that are available for free to all trainers and others that must be purchased.
By completing them, you receive special rewards such as rare items or Pokémon. A few months ago, you could have received another Master Ball this way.
A trainer on Reddit is showing a screenshot with a message that only a few trainers might know, which he claims to have worked on for 6 years.
Start video
Heavenly teamwork in Pokémon GO – a new season begins
Research tasks sometimes only solvable after months
What kind of message is that? The trainer shows on Reddit that he has completed all the special research tasks he has received so far. This is particularly special because there are many special research tasks where you need to catch or photograph certain Pokémon.
If these are currently not available in the game, it can take months or years before you can fulfill the corresponding research tasks.
Additionally, new special research tasks are continually being added to the game that you can solve. So if you are on a good path to solve all special research tasks, new ones may already appear and extend your list again.
You can see the post and the corresponding message that is shown to him here:
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What does the community say about it? Beneath his post, there are many comments explaining which special research tasks the respective trainers are stuck on. These include the following:
I’m still stuck on the December Community Day with Porygon, writes trainer rockblazer23
I still need Lileep or Anorith, is the comment from trainer kaedemi011
I’m stuck on the snapshot of Thundurus, adds trainer LemonadeLion2001
Where did you find Ditto?, asks Princess_Ichigo
These comments show how long special research tasks can take. Here, trainers need Pokémon that are currently not available in the game, which prevents them from completing the respective research tasks.
How about you? Do you also have special research tasks that you have been sitting on for months or even years? Or have you solved all special research tasks as well? Feel free to write to us in the comments. If you want to know which events await you in July 2024 in Pokémon GO, we have the right overview for you.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Blizzard is currently releasing more and more information about the Spiritborn and thus about Vessel of Hatred, the first expansion of Diablo 4. Clever players have already found details in the shown gameplay that suggest some revisions. However, you should consider these hints with caution.
Here are the new details:
In the gameplay for the Spiritborn, it was already visible that the new maximum level is now supposed to be 60 instead of 50.
The current Paragon system is to be completely revised, with experts even suspecting an “endless Paragon” like in Diablo 3.
Where do the hints come from? Blizzard recently released a new video about the Spiritborn, explaining once again the spirits that grant the Spiritborn their power. In this video, you see among other things:
a character at level 60 that no longer has divisions in the level bar, as is currently the case for Paragon points
a small number under the level that presumably stands for Paragon points
Additionally, Blizzard has already talked about new Paragon boards and legendary glyphs for all classes, making a revision increasingly likely. However, we cannot yet say how it will turn out.
Furthermore, Blizzard has already shown some images of new weapons. The experts from wowhead are sure, based on these, that the damage will generally be much lower. The weapon is much weaker compared to the current Diablo 4.
We also noticed this while testing the class. The damage from the Spiritborn ranged from roughly 19 to 50 per attack (without crits). However, on inquiry with the developers, it was said that this is probably only due to the test build that we were allowed to play.
All the information is not confirmed, so you should view it with a certain skepticism.
You can find all the information about Vessel of Hatred in our summary here. Here is the video with the new details:
Start video
Blizzard explains the Spiritborn, the new class in Diablo 4 and its spirits
The hints about endless Paragon, on the other hand, are received rather mixed to poorly. It is good to have something to grind after reaching max level, but a loot box or gold for each level-up would suffice, as long as there is something.
An endless Paragon grind with steadily growing power makes things like the leaderboards completely meaningless, as there would be no relative equality among players anymore. However, the current boards are a much better system than those in Diablo 3.
Vessel of Hatred starts on October 8, and until then you will surely receive more information about the expansion. At gamescom 2024, you will even be able to play the Spiritborn for the first time yourself. However, Season 5 will come first with some changes. Here you can find all the information about the start, theme, and PTR of Season 5.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The developer NCSoft has announced two major updates for the MMORPG Throne and Liberty, which Amazon is bringing to Europe for PC, PS5, and Xbox. The action online role-playing game is set to undergo a fundamental overhaul. There is talk of a “rebuild.” The first update will launch this week in Korea.
This is the story of the MMORPG Throne and Liberty:
Throne and Liberty was supposed to be the new flagship MMORPG for NCSoft, the next game in the extremely successful “Lineage” series (Part 1 was released in 1998, Part 2 in 2003). The MMORPG has been in development since 2011 and was on the verge of release in 2017, then known as Lineage Eternal.
However, Throne and Liberty is not performing well in South Korea. It is doing so poorly that the revenues were concealed at the financial conference. NCSoft is already feeling the pressure from shareholders.
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Throne and Liberty: Trailer for the start of the open beta shows early access packages
Leap Update aims to save Korean MMORPG
This is set to change: The “Leap Update” is scheduled for July 24 in South Korea, which aims to fundamentally overhaul Throne and Liberty. Another update is expected in August. The update will bring:
Multi-level dungeons
New life skills – fishing and cooking
A boost server
General quality of life improvements and game enhancements
A new skill system, allowing players to specialize
New skill system aims to make gameplay more dynamic and better
This is the key feature: The new skill system is seen as the important feature. Starting at level 30, players can begin to allocate 100 points into various enhancements and weapon skills.
This leads to a different playstyle. Players can now use area attacks and new debuffs with their respective weapons. Or move during combat, whereas before they had to remain stationary. The update is expected to add 12 skills to each weapon.
The goal of the update is to provide players with multiple builds to choose from, all of which are “viable,” meaning they are well playable.
Additionally, there will be an option to save 3 sets of how players have allocated their skills in Throne and Liberty.
According to a YouTuber, our version of Throne and Liberty will launch with this new improved system when it goes live on September 17. However, this has not been officially confirmed yet.
The YouTuber Whelp explains the skill system:
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Throne and Liberty and NCSoft are in crisis, now trying to turn it around
Here’s what it’s about: This is a major overhaul to make the MMORPG more action-packed. Whether all this will actually go live in Europe on September 17 is something to be skeptical about. It also seems questionable whether the PS5 and Xbox versions will run optimally at release.
In South Korea, Throne and Liberty is a pure PC game.
What the update makes clear: NCSoft believes in Throne and Liberty and is willing to invest more resources into the game to bring it to better waters. Because the initial reaction to Throne and Liberty apparently fell far short of expectations. After a strong phase 5-6 years ago, NCSoft has recently gambled with too greedy MMORPGs in South Korea and is now facing fierce headwinds: Guild Wars 3: Finally, a new MMORPG has been announced, but the announcement was terrible
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Season 5 of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 begins on July 24. The accompanying update brings a variety of new content, including new maps, weapons, and modes. In one of the new modes, you will find out how Keanu Reeves felt in The Matrix.
How can you dodge bullets? One of the new modes being added with the launch of Season MW3 is called “COD Warrior.” In this mode, three teams of two compete against each other in various mini-games.
Overall, there are 15 different mini-games in COD Warrior. One of these mini-games is called “Bullet Time!” and allows you to dodge bullets. This is possible because the speed of the bullets fired in the mode is supposed to be extremely slow, allowing you to evade enemy fire with a sidestep or a good old dropshot.
The fact that you can dodge bullets by ducking, throwing yourself on the ground, or stepping to the side strongly resembles the legendary scene from the movie The Matrix. Neo, played by Keanu Reeves, can avoid deadly fire because he can quickly duck backward. However, in CoD, you are not as fast as Neo; the bullets are just much slower.
Currently, Season 4 is still running in MW3 and Warzone. You can watch the trailer for Season 4 Reloaded here:
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Trailer shows new content in CoD MW3 Season 4 Reloaded
From unlimited grenades to knife fights and miniguns
What other mini-games are there? Each mini-game is based on the use of weapons, but you only have one life; there is no respawn. A mini-game round is supposed to last between 15 and 90 seconds.
Besides “Bullet Time!” there are these 14 mini-games:
Beat Up the Car!
Each team starts with sledgehammers and a vehicle. The first team to destroy its car wins.
Breacher Ball!
All operators have an unlimited number of Breacher drones as their only weapon. You must survive to win.
Fire!
Form a circle, with each operator carrying the TYR handgun. Draw quickly and survive to win.
Don’t Fire
Listen carefully. In this variation, all operators spawn with the TYR handgun in a circle. Anyone who shoots instantly dies. Survive to win.
Drone Wars
All operators spawn with “Stormenders” and “Bomb Drones.” Survive to win.
Fragged!
In this mini-game, all operators are equipped with unlimited frag grenades and a riot shield.
The Hunt!
The operators are assigned the role of either a hunter or a runner. The hunters must eliminate the runners. The runners have no weapons to defend themselves.
Knives!
The operators spawn only with knives. Survive to win.
“Meta” Loadout
An “ironic interpretation of the meta”, where operators compete with poorly optimized equipment. Survive to win.
Miniguns for everyone!
Each operator receives a Juggernaut suit and a minigun. Survive to win.
Last Ninja Standing!
The operators fight only with shurikens and benefit from increased movement speed and jump height. Survive to win.
Revive!
Each team spawns with a downed operator. The first team to find and revive its downed teammate wins.
Shocking!
You fight in the mini-game under the permanent effect of a shock stick.
Turret Time!
All operators are equipped with Stormenders and a remote-controlled turret. Survive to win.
The different mini-games show that COD Warrior is likely not going to be a very serious mode where you can have some fun and not sweat for victory. This has been a major criticism of CoD for some time, especially due to the introduction of SBMM. Many players want to relax and not always have to give their best.
For several months now, the next manga chapter of Dragon Ball Super has been awaited. A possible reason is a rights dispute.
On March 1, 2024, the mangaka Akira Toriyama unexpectedly passed away. His most famous work is the Dragon Ball series. He was responsible for classic Dragon Ball as well as Dragon Ball Z, GT, and Super.
After the release of chapter 103 of Dragon Ball Super on March 20, 2024, it has become very quiet around the beloved manga. Since then, fans have been waiting in vain for the release of chapter 104.
In addition to grieving Toriyama’s death, there could be another reason responsible for this delay.
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In Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO, you can expect a lot of characters
Dispute over rights could delay the next chapter
What is the reason? The reason could be a rights dispute that has erupted. Here, editor Akio Iyoku and publisher Shūeisha are in conflict. Akio Iyoku worked until 2023 as the head of the Dragon Ball Room. As the head of this department, Iyoku’s task was to manage Toriyama’s intellectual property.
Iyoku, who was considered a close confidant of Toriyama and was also involved in the development of Dragon Ball, reportedly initiated a film adaptation of SAND LAND in the past without communicating this to his superiors. SAND LAND is a manga also created by Toriyama. The film was released in 2023.
This action was not well received by those in charge. As a result, Iyoku was transferred to a new department. He disagreed with this decision and subsequently began to make a name for himself independently.
You can find the relevant article about the incident on the X account of Dragon Ball fan SupaChronicles:
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In 2023, Iyoku finally founded his own company, which he named Capsule Corporation, in reference to Dragon Ball.
This sparked a dispute regarding the rights to Dragon Ball. While Iyoku demands more rights, the Shūeisha publisher does not want to relinquish its rights.
Companies like Bandai Namco, which are responsible for licensing Dragon Ball, are put in a difficult position by this. It is challenging for companies like Bandai Namco to determine whether Iyoku’s new company or Shūeisha is the right contact. The sudden death of Akira Toriyama further complicates the situation.
This could be the reason why the new chapter of Dragon Ball Super continues to be awaited. Originally, May 20, 2024 was considered as the release date for the new chapter. However, this date was not met, and to this day, the new chapter has not been released.
Square Enix has started a collaboration with the bubble tea chain Gong cha. The aim of the campaign was to reward some bubble tea drinkers with special goodies for Final Fantasy XIV. However, the scarcity of the merchandise has been exploited by scalpers, who are now reselling the free goodies on eBay.
What kind of campaign is this? Visitors of Gong cha have been able to scoop up two special goodies since July 17, 2024, when purchasing three specific bubble teas:
A code for a free mount named Porxie King when a customer orders three bubble teas at once
A keychain based on the design of the bubble tea and a mascot from the MMORPG
However, the goodies are more limited than initially assumed. We have already reported to you how difficult it is to get one of the codes. The Gong-cha shops are only available in a few countries, and even in the stores themselves, there are only a few codes available.
The limitation of the codes has prompted some scalpers to take action. They have grabbed as many of the free codes and keychains that come with the bubble tea as possible, and are now perhaps making profits by reselling them on eBay.
Final Fantasy XIV recently received its new Dawntrail expansion:
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Final Fantasy XIV: Launch trailer for Dawntrail prepares for the adventure in Tural
Scalpers are asking for 110 euros – just for the mount
What are the traffickers up to? To obtain the code, customers need to spend around 14–18 euros for three bubble teas. Some scalpers saw this as an opportunity to make quick money and offered the code for more money on eBay.
The most expensive listings we have currently seen are at 110 euros (via eBay). For 120 euros, we found a complete package that includes all three keychains on eBay. Even with the currently cheapest offer of around 20 euros, the eBay seller could still pocket a few euros in profit.
Terms like “rare” or “limited” also suggest to buyers that they would be acquiring an extremely rare mount. This increases the incentive to buy.
A reddit user writes that they observed a person ordering 48 bubble teas. Afterward, they allegedly threw all the bubble teas in the trash and left with 16 codes for the mount. This shows that the person was only after using the codes to make a lot of money.
Since the campaign runs until August 28, there is a chance that even more such dubious offers will appear on eBay. If you want to try your luck yourself: From Germany, the nearest locations are in Belgium and Strasbourg (France).
With over 20,000 players simultaneously at peak times on Steam and years full of updates with new content, a successor to Hunt: Showdown is likely coming soon.
What kind of game is this? Hunt: Showdown is a PvEvP horror shooter developed by the German company Crytek, released in full version in 2019. In the game, you hunt down bounties and fight against mutants and zombie-like opponents as well as other teams.
Unlike in a battle royale, there isn’t just one winning team at the end. Players can leave the area early and protect their character from death. While a major update for the game is on the way, a successor could already be in the works.
Here you can watch the trailer for Hunt: Showdown:
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Hunt: Showdown sorgt mit neuem Trailer für offene Fragen
Whether it’s a new update or a successor, it’s going to be big
What is now known? Hunt: Showdown is anything but harmless, which is why the game requires an age restriction. This exists in the USA and is provided by the ESRB. A new title named Hunt: Showdown 1896 has now appeared there.
There is also a description for the game’s rating. The title is classified as an adult game. It states that Hunt: Showdown 1896 is a “first-person monster hunting game set in an imaginative version of the Victorian era.”
Furthermore, it says: “Players use bats, clubs, brass knuckles, and pistols to kill zombie-like creatures and human opponents. The fights are underscored by impact sounds, gunshots, and splashes of blood.”
Moreover, it was crucial for the rating: “With some weapons, players can smash zombies’ heads or sever their limbs. One type of zombie explodes in blood and guts when killed; another type wears human skin as a cloak.”
What else is known about Hunt: Showdown 1896? The game is set to be released on PC, PS5, and XBOX Series S|X and contains blood, gore, violence, as well as in-game purchases.
Will there be a successor? Whether a successor is really coming with Hunt: Showdown 1896 remains unclear. There is also the possibility that the announced update, which is supposed to greatly expand the game on August 15, is so comprehensive that it necessitated a new age rating. Usually, ratings are not given for small updates, such as a new boss or a new weapon in the game.
The year also speaks for this. Hunt: Showdown actually takes place in 1895, just one year before the potential successor. So, it is possible that Hunt: Showdown 1896 could just be “Hunt: Showdown 2.0.”
In Pokémon GO, the first Hyperbonus is ending. If you want to level up: Make use of the last hours.
What kind of bonus is this? The first part of the Hyperbonus, which trainers have unlocked over the course of the global GO Fest, is still ongoing.
Part of this bonus is the quadruple XP for catches. This means: Every single catch you make can bring you one step closer to the next trainer level.
By the way: You should also secure the new Zwieps preferably before the bonus ends through limited research or field research, as it might be harder to find afterwards.
How long is the bonus still running? It runs until this evening: On Monday, July 22 at 8:00 PM, it’s over.
So make the most of the bonus as best as you can.
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Heavenly teamwork in Pokémon GO – a new season begins
How can I effectively make use of the XP bonus in Pokémon GO now?
Aim well, gather XP: The goal is to hit great throws. Because every great throw usually nets you 1,000 XP.
With the quadruple bonus, the yield amounts to a whopping 4,000 XP, plus extra bonuses for things like “New Pokémon”, “Caught on the first throw”, “First Pokémon of the day”, and similar. You can quickly rack up very high XP numbers this way.
Double again: If you use a Lucky Egg, the XP yield will even double for half an hour. Then, you’ll get 8,000 XP for the great throw, and all other XP modifiers will also be doubled.
The 7-Day Series: If you manage to get into a 7-day series today by catching your first Pokémon of the day, try to hit great and use a Lucky Egg if possible. Through these series, players have previously collected ridiculously high XP numbers with just one throw when the corresponding bonuses were active.
Incense for spawns: Are there no monsters nearby? Then either light an Incense or simply the free daily adventure Incense. This will give you spawns for the duration of the respective items while you’re walking.
Utilize the Adventure Effect: If you have the primal form of Dialga, you might consider extending your Lucky Egg and Incense times with the Adventure Effect “Time Noise”. Keep in mind that this does cost a fair amount of candy and stardust. You can read more about Time Noise here.
And what’s next? After the bonus is before the bonus, as there will be a total of three different Hyperbonus parts. While the current part 1 ends this evening, the next part of the bonus begins on July 25, 2024. You can find all the content of “Hyperbonus Part 2 and 3” in Pokémon GO here.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
