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Dirty Bomb to End Live Development After Last Patch Hits

  by   Alex Co  
October 18, 2018 5:18 pm in News

Are you familiar with Dirty Bomb? The free-to-play shooter developed by Splash Damage that was released back in 2015? If you’re still playing it, or know someone who does, you might want to sit down for the bad news.

In a new update on the game’s official website, Splash Damage has announced that “live development” of Dirty Bomb will end once a new bug fix build is released in the “coming week.s”

Here’s the full letter from Splash Damage:

Hey guys,

We’re sorry for the recent radio silence. You deserve better and we haven’t been there for you. It has been a challenging couple of months full of sensitive decisions that we had to make regarding the future of Dirty Bomb. It’s with a heavy heart that, after a bug fix build ships in the upcoming weeks, we will be ending live development and updates on Dirty Bomb.

After regaining publishing rights for DB nearly two years ago, we staffed up a load of developers and tried our best to deliver a Dirty Bomb experience that would be feature-rich with tons of new content, while maintaining its great gameplay feel & balance. Unfortunately, despite all the added time and resources, there were some challenges we couldn’t overcome, and we were not able to make DB the success that we hoped it could be. The bottom line is that we can’t financially justify continuing to work on the game we love.

Since we won’t be releasing any additional Mercenaries, we’re going to refund the All Merc Pack DLC to everyone who purchased it by January 31st, 2019 – the money you spent will go back in your Steam wallet and the unlocked Mercs will remain in your account. We know many of you love DB and still play it religiously, so we will keep servers up for you to enjoy, as long as there are a meaningful number of players using them in the supported regions.

We spent the summer months trying to get you guys as many features as possible in order for you to control DB yourselves, without our direct involvement. We hope that Steam Trading, Community Servers, and FACEIT help you play DB the way you want moving forward.

To close, we’d like to say a heartfelt and sincere thank you for your support these many years. Dirty Bomb is a shooter that we always wanted to make, we could not have done it without you and are forever grateful. The future is bright at Splash Damage, we have many announced and unannounced titles in production that we can’t wait to work with you on!

Thank you,
Splash Damage

If you didn’t read the bottom part of the message, Splash Damage announced that those who bought the All Merc Pack DLC will have their money refunded!

Fret not, though! Splash Damage has also mentioned that servers will be up as long as there’s a significant number of people playing. People will still be able to rent servers, anti-cheat will still be effect, and there’s going to be mini events coming too.

Have you played Dirty Bomb or are you currently playing it? How’s the player base like?

Tags: Dirty Bomb Splash Damage
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Alex Co

Father, gamer, games media vet, writer of words, killer of noobs.

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PUBG Update #23 Now Out on PC Test Servers, Adds New Weapons, QoL Changes and More

  by   Alex Co  
4:13 pm in News

PUBG Corp. has released PUBG update #23 on PC, and it adds a new weapon, quality of life (QoL) improvements, performance tweaks, and a lot more!

Check out the full PUBG update #23 patch notes (via Steam):

FIX PUBG Update
QoL
  • UI GUIDES: Added an on-screen key guide function which shows dynamic key guides depending on the game play situation (on by default, can change to off in gameplay options)
Bug Fixes
  • UNDERWATER: Fixed the issue where players could use weapons while swimming if they kept pushing the weapon equip button near rocks

Added a new handgun, the Skorpion

  • The Skorpion spawns on all maps
  • Single fire and full auto fire mode
  • Uses 9mm ammo, it can load up to 20 bullets and 40 with an Extended Magazine
  • Attachments:
    • Sight: Red dot sight
    • Muzzle: Suppressor
    • Lower Rail: Vertical Foregrip, Half Grip, Light Grip, Laser Sight
    • Stock: Stock for Micro UZI
    • Magazine: Extended Magazine only
  • Skorpion is also available in the Training mode. Have a fun!

Lobby Patch Notes

  • Added Patch Notes to the lobby. They can be viewed in a popup by clicking the Patch Notes icon in the top right.
  • Videos included in the patch notes cannot be played directly in the client.
    • When clicking on a video, an external browser will open to play the video.
  • Note: This feature will be applied once the update is moved to live servers.
Gameplay
  • Decreased recoil of the P18C.
  • We’ve toned down the opacity of the blue zone so that it less difficult to see through .
    • Thanks to all of our players for the feedback you provided regarding this. Please share your feedback with us once you’ve tested the changes.
  • Mitigated an issue where the blue zone’s opacity difference was too strong depending on the map and weather type.
  • Added an on-screen dynamic key map guide which changes based on the gameplay situation.
    • Appears above the minimap.
    • Set to “On” by default, but can be switched off in Settings > Gameplay.
  • We’ve improved the control of wheel menu, making it easier for players to select items.
  • We’ve improved the Page Up/Page Down reticle changing functionality of red dot sight, holographic sight and 2x/3x scopes.
    • Selections are now on a loop, so players can press one button to cycle through the options.
  • The name of the player being watched while spectating teammates, in observer view, or killer spectating will now appear in the top left corner of the screen.
World
  • Made fixes and improvements to Training Mode
    • Optimized moving targets. Basic function is same as before but the appearance is slightly changed.
    • Limited the maximum spawns of water vehicles (boat, aqua rail) to 2
      • This is a temporary solution due to a performance issue, we will implement additional improvements in the future.
    • Reduced visual flickering of thin objects such as electrical wires.
Performance
  • Improved performance by mitigating an issue causing thin objects to flicker.
  • Optimized particles in rainy weather.
Supply System
  • Survival XP can now be earned while observing teammates.
    • This grants 50% less XP than while alive
Anti-Cheat / Report
  • Added the report player function to event mode games.
  • By pressing “R” key when spectating, you can report a player who previously killed you.
    • Players can report other players during a match by clicking the “Report” button on the death screen.
    • Up to 8 recent players who killed you will be displayed as available to report.
    • When reporting a teammate who killed you, the option to report for team killing will be displayed.
    • You can only report a player once per match.
Skin & Items
  • Added multi-slot items as a new category.
    • These are single piece clothing items that require multiple slots to wear (Torso and Legs, for example).
    • If you try to wear a multi-slot item while wearing a single slot item in one of those slots, those items will be removed automatically.
  • Changed the reset time of the weekly random crate to Tuesday 5pm PDT (UTC 0).

Custom Match

  • Added a new game mode, War Mode: Conquest
    • This game mode sets two Platoons (up to 50 vs. 50) against each other to capture and hold objectives within an area. Your Platoon earns points as you hold these objectives and the team with the highest score wins.
    • Multiple options, including capture area circle size can be adjusted in the match options.
    • Added a few War Mode: Conquest related presets.
    • A detailed guide for recommended custom match settings for this mode will be announced in a separate article at a later date.
    • Replays are not yet available for War Mode: Conquest matches. This functionality will be added in a future update.
  • Added the option to invite friends to a custom game
  • Added an option to adjust damage ratios (from 0 to 500%) in custom game settings.
    • You can adjust the head, upper body, lower body, arm, or leg damage ratio from bullets and melee attacks.
    • You can also adjust the damage ratio from throwables.
  • Corrected issue with default configuration settings for killer spectating and red zone in Esports Mode.
  • Added “Camp Jackal” (Training Mode Map) as an available map for War Mode matches.
Bug Fixes
  • Fixed the issue where players could use weapons while swimming if they kept pushing the weapon equip button near rocks.
  • Fixed some exploitable spots which allowed players to enter inside cliff faces.
  • Fixed the issue where in FPP when character holding throwables or ready to throw throwables is moving facing the sky, his/her hand flickers and moves around.
  • Fixed an issue which caused the screen to shake excessively when spectating or viewing the death cam of an opponent who was firing a weapon.
  • Fixed the issue where when freefalling out of the plane and pressing particular movement keys, certain animations didn’t play correctly.
  • Fixed the issue where the footstep sounds of players moving at low speed (walking when crouching) was not played to other players.
  • Fixed the issue where when click the “Play” button, game was frozen in the lobby.
  • Fixed the issue where world map and wheel menu could be opened at the same time.
  • Fixed the issue where a spot at the back of the truck and buggy would block bullets.
  • Fixed the issue where when plane flew around you, the sound of plane was not played.
  • Fixed an issue which caused waves to not be heard momentarily after unmuting the game

What changes should come to PUBG based on these Test Server tweaks?

Tags: PUBG PUBG Corp.
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Alex Co

Father, gamer, games media vet, writer of words, killer of noobs.

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Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 Jump Shooting Around Corners Gives You “Peeker’s Advantage” and Here’s How

  by   Alex Co  
3:19 pm in News

If you’ve been playing Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 multiplayer since launch and noticed that some people seem to have the jump on you (figuratively) every time you go face-to-face, well, sad to say, that might just be the case. While “jump shooting” is nothing new in first-person shooters, it’s being taken to a whole new level in Black Ops 4.

In the video below by Reddit user Soulstone_X,  a little offline testing is done on how Black Ops 4 jump shooting work, and why it seems to be so popular in multiplayer. As it turns out, there’s this weird little “peeker’s advantage” or something going on that makes the target get shot before the gunner appears on the screen.

This is why people jump shot you around corners. Did a little testing – offline with no lag. from r/Blackops4

As Soulstone_X puts it, “Slight delay when player jumps around a corner. Feels like you’re being shot at before they appear on your screen.” What’s more, we also get to see how this affects players that are prone too. In the video, we see the player standing up from a prone position, and only when is he cleared of the sandbags can he see the target; but in the perspective, we can see the player already up with his head primed to be shot at.

Obviously, this works both ways. So if you want to be the killer instead of the victim, you’d best adapt to the game’s gunplay and whatnot. Will Treyarch patch this out or fix this? We can’t say for sure, but at the very least, you now know why people are jump shooting in Black Ops 4 around corners and you might want to do it too.

Have you experienced this or something similar or worse? If so, share your experience in the comments below.

In other Black Ops 4 news, Activision has announced that Black Ops 4 managed to break over $500 million dollars in its first weekend of availability!

Tags: Activision Call of Duty Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 Treyarch
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Alex Co

Father, gamer, games media vet, writer of words, killer of noobs.

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Battlefield V Single-Player Info, The Last Tiger Arriving in December

  by   Alex Co  
1:10 pm in News

If the Battlefield V single-player gameplay footage wasn’t enough, here’s some more info about the campaign (called War Stories) straight from DICE! At launch, there will be four War Stories available, with The Last Tiger set to drop sometime in December. Read up on each known War Story below.

The War Stories

Each War Story transports you to a different part of the war. The ones available at launch and directly after include the below.

  • Prologue: Take on an intense introduction to the world of Battlefield V.
  • Nordlys: Set in an occupied Norway that has not known peace since the war began, this story involves a young resistance fighter who learns of a dangerous scheme while rescuing one of her own. Her story centers on not only her fight for her country’s liberation from occupying forces, but her family’s survival.
  • Under No Flag: This is a story about grit, determination and second chances. You’ll fight in the boots of Billy Bridger, a criminal pulled from a London jail for a chance of redemption alongside a Special Boat Section unit. What he lacks in experience he makes up for in perseverance.
  • Tirailleur: It’s high-intensity all-out infantry warfare, where Senegalese units of the French Colonial Forces fight to liberate the French “homeland” that they’ve never even seen before.
  • The Last Tiger (arriving December): In the twilight of WW2, the German Army descends into chaos. Under the command of a veteran officer, a lone Tiger tank crew begins to question the ideology that got them to this point.

We also reported yesterday how characters in Battlefield V will speak in their native language in single-player to add to the authenticity.

Source: EA

Tags: Battlefield battlefield v DICE EA
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Alex Co

Father, gamer, games media vet, writer of words, killer of noobs.

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Red Dead Redemption 2 Install Size Revealed by Rockstar, 99GB on PS4, 107GB on XB1

  by   Alex Co  
10:36 am in News

While Microsoft themselves have already outed how big the Red Dead Redemption 2 file size is, it seems it’s even bigger than originally reported! Over on the official Rockstar Games support page (thanks, Nibellion), it breaks down the Red Dead Redemption 2 install size on both platforms, and it’s BIG!

Question: How much space will I need on my platform to install Red Dead Redemption 2?

Answer: The amount of space required to install Red Dead Redemption 2 depends on the platform you are using, and the method of installation:

Disc Installation:

  • PS4 – 99 GB installation space
  • Xbox One – 107 GB installation space

Digital Installation:

  • PS4 – 99 GB installation space with an additional 50GB for the installation process
  • Xbox One – 107 GB installation space

In other Red Dead Redemption 2 news, watch the launch trailer right here, which was released by Rockstar just now.

More Red Dead Redemption 2 Reading:

Tags: Red Dead Redemption Red Dead Redemption 2 Rockstar Games
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Alex Co

Father, gamer, games media vet, writer of words, killer of noobs.

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Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 Earns Over Half a Billion Dollars in Opening Weekend

  by   Alex Co  
10:24 am in News

While Activison has already announced how commercially successful Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 is, it seems they’re not done just yet! In a new press release, the publisher announced that Black Ops 4 sales figures have delivered over half a BILLION dollars in the game’s opening weekend!

Note that these are “sell-through” numbers and not shipped, and in just three days, Black Ops 4 has set a new Call of Duty franchise record for most combined players, average hours per player, and total number of hours played on current gen systems! Want more stats? The combined number of Black Ops 4 players across its three modes of play during those first three days tops both last year’s Call of Duty: WWII, as well as Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 (single-player, multiplayer and zombies), respectively, for the same period of time.

The success of Black Ops 4 has even seeped through onto Twitch! Based on minutes watched, Black Ops 4 has delivered the highest level of viewership through launch weekend  on Twitch in franchise history!

For more on Black Ops 4, check out the latest game update via server-side hotfix by Treyarch.

Tags: Activision Call of Duty Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 Treyarch
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Alex Co

Father, gamer, games media vet, writer of words, killer of noobs.

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Red Dead Redemption 2 Launch Trailer Is Here, and It Hits Hard

  by   Alex Co  
10:01 am in News

As promised by Rockstar Games, the Red Dead Redemption 2 launch trailer is here! Prepare for a quick look at how much awesomeness and violence is in the game. Watch protagonist Arthur Morgan do his thing

America, 1899. The end of the Wild West era has begun. After a robbery goes badly wrong in the western town of Blackwater, Arthur Morgan and the Van der Linde gang are forced to flee. With federal agents and the best bounty hunters in the nation massing on their heels, the gang must rob, steal and fight their way across the rugged heartland of America in order to survive. As deepening internal divisions threaten to tear the gang apart, Arthur must make a choice between his own ideals and loyalty to the gang who raised him.

Red Dead Redemption 2, an epic tale of life in America at the dawn of the modern age, arrives for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on October 26th.

There’s a lot of Red Dead Redemption 2 info dropping as we come nearer and nearer its October 26 release date. Did you know that the game will purportedly come in two discs? Players will be able to pre-load the game starting tomorrow too.

For more info about RDR2, make sure to bookmark and check back on MP1st’s Red Dead Redemption 2 game hub!

Tags: Red Dead Redemption Red Dead Redemption 2 Rockstar Games
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Alex Co

Father, gamer, games media vet, writer of words, killer of noobs.

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Loads of Battlefield V Single-Player Gameplay Footage Drops, Here’s How It’s Shaping Up

  by   Alex Co  
9:21 am in News

Just as EA said, a load of Battlefield V single-player footage has dropped! Called “War Stories,” Battlefield V’s single-player will be similar to Battlefield 1’s episodic chapters that will give players the point-of-view of different characters.

YouTuber TheTacticalBrit has uploaded over 20 minutes of Battlefield V War Stories gameplay. There’s gunfights (obviously), but we also get to see a snow level, fighting in trenches and loads more.

YouTuber Westie has also uploaded gameplay footage, giving us a first look at the weapons available in the single-player campaign.

Here’s a brief excerpt of War Stories as per EA:

Discover the untold stories of World War 2 with Battlefield V’s single player War Stories. In Nordlys, resist German occupation in Norway, sabotage behind enemy lines as an unlikely English soldier in Under No Flag, fight for a home you’ve never seen in Tirailleur, and in The Last Tiger (available in December) join the crew of a Tiger I as they question why they fight.

In related Battlefield V news, we reported yesterday that characters in War Stories will be speaking in their native language to add a bit of authenticity to the experience.

Are you liking Battlefield V’s single-player so far? Or would you rather have more multiplayer info?

Tags: Battlefield battlefield v DICE EA
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Alex Co

Father, gamer, games media vet, writer of words, killer of noobs.

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Battlefield V: Every Character Will Speak in Their Native Language in the Campaign

  by   Alex Co  
October 17, 2018 6:03 pm in News

Don’t you hate it when you’re watching a movie or playing a game and the setting is in France or some other country where English isn’t the first language, but the people talking among themselves are speaking in English just because? If you do, then you won’t have that problem in Battlefield V’s single-player campaign!

Over on Twitter, DICE Level Designer for War Stories (the single-player campaign) Jeff Gagne reveals that every character in War Stories are speaking in their respective language!

This will definitely add a bit more authenticity to the campaign, no? If you still haven’t seen it, check out the most recent trailer for War Stories to get a feel of what DICE is aiming for. Also check out the info roadmap for the week since DICE is cooking a little something for Friday.

Are you a fan of this move or should the developers give an option for those who want to hear everything in English?

Tags: Battlefield battlefield v DICE EA
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Alex Co

Father, gamer, games media vet, writer of words, killer of noobs.

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Hitman 2: Actor Sean Bean Will Be the First Elusive Target

  by   Alex Co  
4:49 pm in News

Here’s an interesting bit of video game news for the day: actor Sean Bean (Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings), has been announced as the Hitman 2 first Elusive Target! Bean will play the role of Mark Faba, a former MI5 operative turned freelance assassin. Bean’s character has the nickname of “The Undying” and is a master at faking his own death.

In the new live-action announcement trailer, Mark Faba, played by Sean Bean, is introduced speaking to his therapist and begins to hint at his unique approach to contract killing, as many random items in the room could potentially serve as useful weapons in Faba’s unorthodox profession. While the session ends badly for Faba’s therapist, the video closes with a familiar character emerging, who has been patiently watching the entire time—the masterful Agent 47. The interactive trailer also asks viewers to vote on three different items referenced throughout the video, which will unlock an exclusive HITMAN 2 weapon later in the campaign.

The Hitman 2 first Elusive Target mission is set to be released this November 20, a week after Hitman 2 launches. It’ll run for 10 days, and in case you’re unfamiliar with the franchise’s Elusive Targets, they “are unique, high-stakes contracts that are only available for a limited time. These missions are free for all players, allowing one chance to assassinate the target and if not successfully completed, the contract cannot be retried.”

In other Hitman 2 news, IO Interactive announced “Ghost Mode,” which is a 1-vs-1 competitive multiplayer mode! Read up on the mode’s details here.

Tags: Hitman Hitman 2 io interactive Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
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Alex Co

Father, gamer, games media vet, writer of words, killer of noobs.

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Report: Red Dead Redemption 2 to Come in 2 Discs According to JP Game Cover

  by   Alex Co  
3:10 pm in News

Given how seemingly massive Red Dead Redemption 2 is, and the file size nearing 90GB without any patches included yet, it seems it might be the first game that will need two discs to house everything it has to offer.

In a post on Japanese gaming site Game’s Talk, the Japanese cover of Red Dead Redemption 2 has been posted, and it plain as day, indicates it’ll come in two discs on the back sleeve.

Obviously, there’s a chance that the second disc is full of extra content like the soundtrack or something else, but given that a single dual layer blu-ray only has a max capacity of 50GB, this two-disc requirement might be warranted.

Related Reading:

We’ve contacted Rockstar to seek clarification about this, and will update the post if and when we get a response.

There’s going to be a new trailer for Red Dead Redemption 2 tomorrow! Check out when you can pre-load the game right here. Check out some of the weapons you’ll be able to wield in RDR2 here.

Tags: Red Dead Redemption Red Dead Redemption 2 Rockstar Games
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Alex Co

Father, gamer, games media vet, writer of words, killer of noobs.

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Battlefield 1 Free DLC Available Now, Road to BFV Challenge Gives a Soldier Token

  by   Alex Co  
2:28 pm in News

As part of EA’s continuous marketing of Battlefield V, the publisher is letting players get a taste of the Battlefield 1 experience by offering Battlefield 1 free DLC for the week! BF1 expansions Apocalypse and Turning Tides will both be playable from October 17-23, 2018!

Info regarding the two limited time free expansions can be seen below. (via EA)

Battlefield 1 Turning Tides

Stage 5 rolls on with the Battlefield 1 Turning Tides expansion. Players can experience what it was like to fight in the 1915 British amphibious assault of the Gallipoli peninsula, deploying alongside the Royal Marines.

Relive massive battles on land within the maze of desert canyons of Achi Baba, choke point-heavy Zeebrugge, and two additional maps. Own the seas as the L-Class destroyer, M.A.S torpedo boats, and Heli blimps. Or drop death from above with the massive C-Class Airship.

The expansion also delivered six weapons and two melee weapons to wipe out enemies. Head over to the Battlefield 1 In the Name of the Tsar page for a full breakdown. 

Battlefield 1 Apocalypse

The Great War’s most brutal battles come to life across four maps in the Battlefield 1 Apocalypse expansion. Try to survive on the once quiet and peaceful village of Passchendaele, now ravaged by weapons built to end the war. Trench networks, ruined houses, and abundant shell craters litter the infantry-focused killing field. Also, prepare for open warfare on the River Somme map with clear trench line battles of soldier versus vehicles.

The expansion lets players equip a bevy of new guns, gadgets, and aircraft, such as the brutal Broken Bottle, Anti-Air Rocket Gun, and Howell Automatic rifle.

Visit the Battlefield 1 Apocalypse page for a complete breakdown of this expansion.

What’s more, the Road to Battlefield V: Weekly Rewards are continuing as well, with this week’s reward set as a Battlefield V soldier token! For the full list of weekly rewards, check it out here.

Tags: Battlefield Battlefield 1 DICE EA
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Alex Co

Father, gamer, games media vet, writer of words, killer of noobs.

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Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 Game Settings Update Adds Stability Improvements Across Zombie Maps (Update)

  by   Alex Co  
1:56 pm in News

Update:

Treyarch has listed the official Black Ops 4 game settings update notes!

We’ve made the following update to the game today (Global):

  • Zombies
    • Significant stability fixes across all Zombies maps, including fixes to the Easter Egg quests.

In addition to that, weapon tuning and more are being looked into and a balance pass is being worked on.

In addition to the topics listed in our previous updates over the past week, we’re currently tracking the following recent topics:

  • Weapon Tuning
    • We’ve seen comments and requests around general weapon tuning since launch. We take weapon tuning very seriously and put any proposed tweaks through rigorous internal testing before we consider a change to the game. With that said, we’ve captured a massive amount of input and stats since October 12th, and we’re currently making a tuning pass for a major update coming soon. Stay tuned.
  • Vehicle Behavior in Blackout
    • If you frequent this subreddit, you’ve probably seen clips of some unexpected vehicle behavior in Blackout. We’re investigating the issue.
  • Death Stashes on Consoles
    • Some players have reported freezing issues when looting a Death Stash in Blackout on consoles. We’re currently working on a fix for this in the near future.
  • Progression Losses
    • We’ve continued to track issues related to connection timeouts that lead to a loss in stats/recently unlocked camos. We’re planning a fix for this later this week.

Original Story:

Continuing with the studio’s almost daily Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 update, Treyarch has once again rolled out a Black Ops 4 game settings update (server-side hotfix) on the PS4 and Xbox One versions of the game.

While we’re waiting for the full patch notes, Treyarch tweeted out that it’s to improve the stability significantly across all Zombies maps, including tweaks to the Easter egg quests.

Don’t forget that a much “larger” game update is hitting this week as well. If you want to see what changes were made yesterday, head on over here.

Tags: Activision Call of Duty Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 Treyarch
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Alex Co

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Home > Features

A Match Made in Heaven: Do MMO Games and Big Money Franchises Actually Work?

  by   Alex Co  
11:38 am in Features

Those who have spent time in the MMO world will almost certainly have stumbled across one particular phenomenon: the trend for game creators to base their offerings on books, movies, mangas and their ilk. Although these are often hugely popular pop culture trends, they tend to translate into this new format with varying degrees of success.

It’s odd, really. One would think that adapting a massively profitable and much-beloved franchise would guarantee a new MMO an instant fan base, yet the reality is that few of these games actually deliver. Though the source material is often gripping and genius, it can be hard to live up to the hype – although that doesn’t seem to stop their creators from trying.    

The reason for this perseverance is simple: when it works, it really works. This leads us to a rather obvious question: what exactly is it that makes a franchise a good candidate for a future MMO? 

An In-Built Audience

Source: Pixabay

In order to make a successful MMO, it’s clear a franchise has to hold a certain audience appeal. There are many that qualify in that they have hundreds of millions of fans from all around the world – books, movies and videos games. These numbers are important because where one might regard a franchise with tens of millions of fans as a success, the gaming community makes up only a small portion of the larger population. For enough people to care, a franchise has to consistently bring in millions of audience members at each and every outing. This means Star Wars, for example, would be a prime candidate, whereas The Matrix might not be (case in point: The Matrix Online).

An Action-Packed Story

Of course, no matter how expansive the in-built audience, a franchise must also translate well into the medium of an MMO and to do this, it needs an event-filled story. Jurassic World and Harry Potter are obvious candidates, with plenty of action and an epic journey at their core. Stories like Lord of the Rings and Japanese mangas are also perfect fits, while franchises like Sherlock Holmes, which primarily gravitate around intellectual feats, are not nearly as successful when adapted.

We see the same trend in other industries that draw upon such source material for inspiration, with slots games providing a prime example. This site has what are widely considered the best online casino bonus codes around and if you take a look, you’ll see that many of the operators it showcases, such as LeoVegas, offer options that are based on action-packed stories like Jurassic World.

An Epic Scale

Source: Pixabay

Last but not least, successfully adapted MMO franchises need something that marks them as being truly and transcendentally epic. It’s not enough for them to have a universe that begs to be explored: there has to be some important obstacle for the protagonist to overcome and terrible consequences should they fail. Personal growth and accomplishments are not sufficient – everything has to happen on a grand scale. The fate of the world needs to rest on the gamer’s shoulders, so that failure is never an option. MMO players, on the whole, are driven by the desire to be part of something bigger when they play and only when this craving is recognised do adaptations truly take off.

If it were down to you, which franchise would you nominate as the next MMO to enter the market?

Tags: MMO
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Alex Co

Father, gamer, games media vet, writer of words, killer of noobs.

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Star Wars Battlefront II Clone Wars Characters to Be Voiced by Original Actors

  by   Alex Co  
11:29 am in News

In case you didn’t know, DICE unveiled the roadmap for Star Wars Battlefront II for October, and this month we’ll see the arrival of General Grievous. If that wasn’t exciting enough, EA has now announced that the Clone Wars voice actors are returning to voice their character counterparts in Battlefront iI!

Full interviews with each character will be posted as we come nearer to each character’s release, but you can check out each actor’s  character and a brief history of their portrayal below.

Matthew Wood – General Grievous (releasing October 30)

Matthew Wood voiced General Grievous’ original appearance in Star Wars™: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith™ and The Clone Wars animated series. He also did the creative post-processing of his character’s voice. Matthew has been working with Lucasfilm since the age of 17 and is (when he’s not voice acting) Supervising Sound Editor at Skywalker Sound, the sound division of Lucasfilm. Now, he’s reprising his role as Grievous in Star Wars Battlefront II.

“I always love revisiting characters from the Clone Wars era, because I feel like there are so many stories to be told! Now, we have the ability to actually set foot into General Grievous’ shoes and see how he operates in real-time. That’s really exciting to me, to be able to portray the character in such a way! I’m a gamer myself, so I can’t wait to see how all this pans out with what the team has created.”

James Arnold Taylor – Obi-Wan Kenobi (releasing November)

Of all actors portraying Obi-Wan Kenobi, James Arnold Taylor has played him the longest, most notably throughout the animated The Clone Wars series. In November, he’s bringing his version of Obi-Wan to Star Wars Battlefront II.

“It is probably the greatest honor for me as an actor, to have gotten to play this character for so many years. And in so many iterations! The television show, video games, toys, a movie . . . It’s one of those ‘pinch me moments’ in my life, because I still kind of wake up some days and go, ‘I . . . I get to be Obi-Wan Kenobi?’ It’s fantastic!”

Corey Burton – Count Dooku (releasing January)

Corey Burton has done a wide variety of work in his long voice acting career. He played Count Dooku in the Clone Wars television animated series, capturing the aristocratic and arrogant Sith Lord as originally delivered by Christopher Lee in Star Wars™: Episode II – Attack of the Clones™. Stepping into the role again is a pleasure for Corey.

“It’s always a joy to slip into the Sith cape! It’s been a delight from the very start. I love playing these sort of evil, wizardly mastermind kind of characters where their strength is a quiet, intense simmer, rather than throwing thunderbolts and hollering. It’s sort of very subtle, and it draws you in instead of blasting out the performance.”

Matt Lanter – Anakin Skywalker (releasing February)

Similar to James Arnold Taylor and his Obi-Wan Kenobi, Matt Lanter has portrayed Anakin Skywalker throughout the Clone Wars animated series. His portrayal of Anakin is a fan-favorite as the character’s complexity is explored in depth in the series. Matt is excited to bring his performance to Star Wars Battlefront II.

“I’m a gamer! I played the first Star Wars Battlefront often. Not really lately, I’ve got a new baby at home and she’s nine months, so I haven’t had a whole lot of gaming time recently. But before that – Battlefront is my game! I grew up playing first person shooters, and I love Star Wars. You know, I perform Star Wars, but I’m also a huge fan. A mix of the both is my perfect game. To be able to be a part of it is pretty incredible.”

If you want to check out what DICE has in store for November up to early 2019, click here.

Source: EA

Tags: DICE EA Star Wars Star Wars: Battlefront II
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Alex Co

Father, gamer, games media vet, writer of words, killer of noobs.

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Red Dead Redemption 2 Pre-Load Starts This Friday, Launch Trailer Debuting Tomorrow

  by   Alex Co  
10:37 am in News

We’re almost here! In less than 10 days, gamers around the world will be able to dive deep in Red Dead Redemption 2 and experience the game for themselves. If you’re planning on buying digital, you’ll be glad to know that the Red Dead Redemption 2 pre-load begins this Friday at 12 a.m. ET!

This was announced by the official Rockstar Games Twitter account where it also revealed that the game’s launch trailer will debut tomorrow, Thursday, October 18 at 10 a.m. ET!

If you’re buying digital, make sure to clear up at least 88-90GB of disk space.We also ran a report the other day that mentions how the game will be 65 hours in length in game time.

For those curious when reviews will go live, we already posted when the review embargo will lift. Check out the weapons and how to customize them in this feature blowout by Rockstar.

Tags: Red Dead Redemption Red Dead Redemption 2 Rockstar Games
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Alex Co

Father, gamer, games media vet, writer of words, killer of noobs.

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Report: Users Reporting Issues After Installing PS4 6.02 Firmware Update

  by   Alex Co  
8:01 am in News

While Sony released a new PS4 firmware update just now to most likely plug the hole that was made by the PS4 message glitch, it seems not everything is A-OK with this the PS4 6.02 update.

Over on Reddit, multiple users have reported various issues with the update. Some have had their console crash, others have reported issues with the console’s sound, and others even had flickering issues.

“Router in use might not support IP packet fragmentation” after update from r/PS4

Comment from discussion ps4 just had an update version 6.0.2.

Comment from discussion ps4 just had an update version 6.0.2.

Comment from discussion ps4 just had an update version 6.0.2.

Comment from discussion ps4 just had an update version 6.0.2.

For the flickering issue, user Sykuze mentioned that there was an issue with the 2160p – RGB option, and it seems he had to choose the YUV420 setting.

Comment from discussion ps4 just had an update version 6.0.2.

If you’re experiencing any issues or errors related to the latest PS4 6.02 update, leave a comment below to let us know what, and if you manage to fix it.

Tags: PlayStation PS4 PS4 update
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Alex Co

Father, gamer, games media vet, writer of words, killer of noobs.

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PS4 Update 6.02 Released by Sony, Improves System Performance

  by   Alex Co  
5:57 am in News

To possibly no one’s surprise, Sony has rolled out a PS4 update 6.02 just now. While the patch notes only mention that it’s to improve system performance, it’s most likely tied in to the recent PS4 message glitch that was floating about, which Sony claims was fixed.

You can download the 447MB file right here.

However, over on Reddit, some users are reporting that that the firmware update is causing PS4s to crash, and even needing to install the PS4 update in safe mode. Some have mentioned that starting it with the firmware necessitated a database rebuild, even.

Once we know more details about this latest PS4 update and what changes it brings, we’ll be sure to let our readers know. In the meantime, rest easy knowing that your PS4 has improved performance and is more stable.

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Tags: PlayStation PS4 update
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Alex Co

Father, gamer, games media vet, writer of words, killer of noobs.

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Another PSN Store Sale Is Up, Called the “Bombs Drop Sale”

  by   Alex Co  
October 16, 2018 9:16 pm in News

While Sony’s big sale every Tuesday is up, it seems the company has another PSN Store sale up, and it’s called the “Bombs Drop Sale,” or if you want to be more specific, the Fallout franchise sale.

If you’re looking for Fallout stuff or just a fan of the franchise and missed out on some games, then you should find one of missing titles in your collection below. Check out the list below (thanks to Reddit user andvarix).

Game Price % Off
Fallout 4 $14.99 50%
FALLOUT 4 – Automatron $5.99 40%
Fallout 4 – Season Pass $24.99 50%
Fallout 4: Contraptions Workshop $2.99 40%
Fallout 4: Far Harbor $14.99 40%
Fallout 4: Game of the Year Edition $29.99 50%
Fallout 4: Nuka-World $11.99 40%
Fallout 4: Vault-Tec Workshop $2.99 40%
Fallout 4: Wasteland Workshop $2.99 40%

The Bombs Drop Sale ends on October 24, at 8 a.m. Pacific.

In case you’ve been living under a bomb shelter the past few months, you might not know that a new Fallout game — Fallout 76 — is set to come out soon. Check out hours of gameplay footage of it right here.

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Tags: Deals Fallout PlayStation PSN psn store sale
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Alex Co

Father, gamer, games media vet, writer of words, killer of noobs.

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Super Pixel Racer Might Be the 16-Bit Racing Game You Didn’t Know You Wanted

  by   Alex Co  
9:05 pm in News

Racing games are a dime a dozen these days, right? But what if a new racing game was announced that had a top-down-perspective (a la Rock ‘n’ Roll Racing), and had 2D pixel graphics? Yeah, that’s a reality, thanks to Super Pixel Racer.

In development for the PS4 and Xbox One by PQube Games, Super Pixel Racer is a 16-bit racing game that offers online and local co-op! Check out the announcement trailer!

Super Pixel Racers is a new top-down racer with punchy 2D pixel graphics, anarchic racing and a thumping 16-bit soundtrack.

Thirteen challenging tracks and a range of unpredictable weather conditions put your drifting skills to the test. Meanwhile ruthless opponents look to check your progress at every turn – or better still – end your race altogether. Rise to the top in the single-player career mode, take on up to 4 friends in local multiplayer, or leave challengers from around the world in the dust with online multiplayer support for up to 8 players.

Super Pixel Racer will race out this October 31 on the PS4 and Xbox One. What do you think of it so far? Old school gamers like me might be in for a treat come October 31. Do you want to see us review it?

Tags: PQube Games Super Pixel Racer
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Alex Co

Father, gamer, games media vet, writer of words, killer of noobs.

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