Tag: Update

Hi-Rez To Roll Back Card Unbound


Hi-Rez Studios this week announced that the controversial, albeit apparently successful, Cards Unbound updated will be removed from Paladins over the next major release cycle.

Cards Unbound is a controversial update that changed the way that cards (which can affect power) are collected. The update was criticized by long-term players who saw the update as a method of shoehoring players into the game’s cash shop by pushing the card leveling system to random loot boxes.

“Our team will be working over the next major release cycle to remove Cards Unbound from the game. We will be replacing it with a new system that I believe the community will be really excited about — including the re-introduction of the deck building point system, and a method for obtaining cards that will be way less grindy.”

Some points on how the new system will work are as follows. This list subject to change.

  • Legendary Cards will now be called Talents.
  • Talents will only have a single level.
  • Talents will be unlocked for free by earning XP and gaining Champion levels (for example; level 1,5,10,15).
  • All Champion Cards will now be free (No cost or grind).
  • Deck creation will return to a point system where players can distribute 15 points across the five cards they select for their loadout. Each Champion Card will have five ranks to choose from.
  • Talents will not have ranks, and are not included in the loadout point cap.
  • Talents and Decks will continue to be chosen at match start to allow players to tailor their playstyles based on their opponents.
  • New Talents will be added over time and give further varied playstyles.
  • Champion Mastery will no longer be capped at level 25. Instead, it will work similarly to Player Account leveling (which has no cap).
  • Card chests will be removed from the game.
  • We are evaluating the best options to compensate players for their previously earned cards, and hope to share details soon.

More information can be found at the link below.

(Source: Google Docs)

Bungie Admits Mistake, Reverses Content Lockout


Not a stranger to controversy, Destiny 2 came under the spotlight yet again this past week during the launch of the Curse of Osiris expansion. While introducing new raids and quests, players quickly became angry over the news that players who did not own the expansion would be locked out of existing content, namely prestige raids, Trials of the Nine, and more.

In a post on the Bungie Blog, the team has confirmed the changes as an “unacceptable lapse,” and confirmed that prestige raids for the base game would be brought down to their original power level requirement, allowing all players to obtain the prestige raid trophy as well as complete the Legend of Acrius exotic shotgun. In the future, the team hopes to add a third prestige difficulty that will scale with the new power available in each expansion.

We’ve heard from the community that both of these plans aren’t working. The Prestige Raid was a novel experience that players value, even if they don’t own Curse of Osiris, and it was a mistake to move that experience out of reach. Throughout the lifetime of the Destiny Franchise, Trials has always required that players owned the latest Expansion. However, for Destiny 2, Trials of The Nine launched as part of the main game, so it’s not right for us to remove access to it.

The full Bungie Blog contains details on how each activity will be handled going forward.

(Source: Bungie)

Snapshots: Dance All Over Your Enemies


Today’s Snapshot comes to us from Guild Wars 2, where players can get their hands on the First Follower Desmina Outfit. The outfit joins the cash shop along with the Choya finisher, and the return of the Heroes Dye Pack, Snowflake Glider, and Mini Festive Aurene with more items returning throughout the week.

You can check out the recent additions at this link here.

Eve Online Improves Free to Play With Arms Race Update


Eve Online just got even more attractive for those looking to play around without dropping a wad of cash. In an update this week, CCP revealed that free accounts (dubbed alpha pilots) will have access to a wider array of ships and skills.

The update allows alpha pilots to train and pilot all sorts of new ships including the Battleship and Battlecruiser classes, among others. Daily alpha injectors can be used to grant pilots skill points on a daily basis rather than the current monthly.

“There has never been a better time to join the universe of EVE and begin your own unique space adventure, or re-join and continue your journey,” said Hilmar Veigar Pétursson, CCP’s CEO. “The increased flexibility and depth of the free Alpha Clone experience means that EVE is more accessible than ever. EVE players can return and fly their favorite ships for free, re-uniting with old corpmates or continue forging their own destiny to make their mark on the universe.”

To celebrate the update, CCP is running an even until December 12, offering free access to Battlecruisers and Battleships, with rewards themed around both classes. For more information on the update, check out https://updates.eveonline.com.

(Source: CCP Press Release)

MU Legend Launching PvP Content


Webzen today has announced the upcoming addition of PvP content for its ARPG MU Legend.

Set for launch on December 5, this content update allows players to engage in 3v3, cross server battles with other players in the same region.

“We will continue to add PVP content to MU Legend’s global version according to our production roadmaps and milestones while also maintaining our efforts into expanding PVE functionality. Even though hack-&-slash games are usually more PVE oriented, we at WEBZEN believe that MU Legend also allows players to explore the PVP aspects of the genre to the fullest degree.”

MU Legend is the follow up to MU Online and is currently in open beta and available in six languages. For more information, check out the main website.

(Source: MU Legend Press Release)

Halloween Spooks Up RuneScape and Old School RuneScape This Week


Darkness falls across the land, the midnight hour is actually pretty far away. If you thought Halloween was over in RuneScape, you were severely mistaken. This week marks the release of two updates for RuneScape and its Old School counterpart, to conclude the Halloween festivities. Over on the RuneScape side of things, players will assist a ghost named Closure by hunting down helping ghosts into the afterlife.

Track down nine ghosts and help them cross to the other side, then collect their last moments in The Ghastly Grimoire in exchange for a ghost treat(containing a small XP lamp or star, a toffee apple or sugar skull and various bones and ashes), this year’s Hallowe’en emote (Ghost Story) and a Headless Rider cosmetic override.

The quest includes five ghost stories from members of the community.

Over at Old School RuneScape, players are already taking part in their event. Adventurers will be enlisted to assist the Grim Reaper and head down to Sapphire Lagoon to stop the hockey mask wearing villain Jonas. Players will get their hands on a spooky mask and new skin shade as well as previous years’ Halloween items.

(RuneScape, Old School)

Ghost Recon Wildlands: Ubisoft Adds PvP, Free Weekend Coming


Player vs player combat is coming to Ghost Recon Wildlands, so what better time than the present to play host to a free week?

Gamers on PC, PS4, and Xbox One will be able to jump in to Ghost Recon from October 12 to the 15, with PC players able to preload starting today, October 9. The PvP update hits servers tomorrow, October 10, as a free update to all who already own the game.

Ghost War is a 4-versus-4 team deathmatch experience that builds on the tactical squad play from the main game, where strategy is equally as important as skill. Using one of the 12 distinct classes, each with their own varied characteristics, weapons, perks and customisation options, players will engage with enemies across eight unique maps. Ghost War also integrates new PvP mechanics, including suppressing fire and sound markers, to create a strategic and intense team-based multiplayer mode.

Further along the road, Ubisoft will expand player vs player by adding in new maps, new modes, and new classes, all of which will be free for all players (new classes will be unlocked with prestige points). Wildlands season pass owners will have one week early access to new classes.

(Source: Ubisoft press release)

ArcheAge 4.0: All The News That’s Fit To Print


ArcheAge 4.0 hits PC in the fourth quarter this year, and Trion Worlds has released a fact list showcasing some of the features coming to the titular MMO. More information will be coming at a later date, however Trion Worlds has showcased the following new features coming with the next big version update:

  • 20 player naval battleground: ArcheAge’s first PvP naval battleground. Take your crew of five and go up against three other crews. Naval Battlegrounds promise new cross-server arenas as well as new rewards.
  • Open world raid finder: Exactly as it sounds, find or advertise your raid.
  • Simplified gem system: Streamlined lunagem system purported to be more user friendly.
  • Crafting updates: A new crafting tutorial quest line, new crafting interface, and specialization.

(Source: Trion Worlds press release)

[NM] One Year Later, No Man’s Sky Explodes In Users, Positive Reviews


If No Man’s Sky can teach us anything about the industry, it’s that you’re never too late for a second chance. Launched August 12, 2016, No Man’s Sky launched in a rather horrible state: Players quickly realized that the game had effectively been launched in early access, just without the tag or many of the promised features. No Man’s Sky was slammed in reviews and more than 90% of the population who bought the game on Steam abandoned it in month #1. It also spawned a lot of memes including this video which succinctly sums up the difference between the hype and final product.

Since then, something miraculous has been happening with rather little fanfare: Hello Games has released quite a large number of updates, tweaking the game and adding in a metric ton of new content. The Foundation update added in new game modes, the Pathfinder update improved visuals, introduced permadeath, and gave more of a reason to build yourself a base. This is also alongside numerous patches adding quality of life improvements, and other new features to give players a reason to keep going. Most recently, Hello Games deployed the Atlas Rises update, bringing 30 hours of story content, new worlds, and more.

And the result? The population has exploded. As of this writing, recent reviews of No Man’s Sky show a 75% approval rating and there are over 10,000 people playing at 11 a.m. on a Monday morning. As more and more people return to, or try out No Man’s Sky for the first time, it looks like No Man’s Sky is finally turning into the game that Hello Games promised it would be more than a year ago.

Just goes to show what can be done when a developer focuses on improving a product rather than immediately abandoning it after a bad launch.

H1Z1: King of the Kill Releases Producer’s Letter


Daybreak Game Company has released its latest producer’s letter for H1Z1: King of the Kill, detailing upcoming updates to the arena shooter. The combat update, set to hit the test server soon, will improve how weapons handle with a reticle offering an accurate idea of where your bullets will go. In addition, each weapon will be tuned to provide a more specific use at different ranges.

In addition to the weapon changes, new points of interest are being added to the map along with an updated bleed mechanic, a deathmatch mode, as well as a battle royale mode that gives each player the same random weapon with infinite ammo, with no weapons spawning in the map.

Check out the full letter at the link below.

(Source: H1Z1)

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