Get the rundown from the devs on new story and missions coming soon to Destiny!
Monthly Archives: May 2015
SMITE Gladiators Glory Patch Overview
Hirez Kelly teases major changes coming next week to SMITE including new skins, item balancing, and visual overhauls for the Arena map and Anubis.
Project CARS Cruises Past the Finish Line
Famous UK developer Slightly Mad Studios & leading interactive entertainment developer and publisher BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Europe S.A.S. today released Project CARS on PC via Steam, for the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system and for Xbox One all-in-one games and entertainment system from Microsoft. The ultimate racing adventure starts now: with a strong lineup of cars, tracks and features to satisfy weekend drivers to road warriors.
Project CARS aims to deliver the most authentic, beautiful, intense and technically-advanced racing game ever developed – crowd-funded by a passionate community that has been involved in the development process from day-one to create their ultimate racing experience. Project CARS invites players to become a racing legend in a freeform career mode that has them chasing specific goals as they work their way through the standings in a multitude of disciplines. Race though one of the largest track rosters in any recent racing game with dynamic weather, pit stops, and world-class graphics running 60 frames per second with up to 45 drivers on-screen.
“We’re thrilled to announce that our fans can now get their hands-on the ultimate racing experience they’ve all been waiting for” said Alberto González Lorca, VP Third Parties, BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Europe. “Collaborating with Slightly Mad Studios on this exciting title, which truly brings the racing experience to a whole new level, was a great adventure.”
“Four years ago we had a vision for a racing game that was bold and dared to take on the two big contenders in this genre. By including the community who would ultimately be playing the game from day one of the development process, we’ve worked tirelessly to create a game that not only has best in class features but continues innovating in the racing genre, shatters long-standing traditions, and breaks new ground both visually and technically” said Ian Bell, Head of Studio at Slightly Mad Studios. “And now, after that unique combination of our own expertise, the wishes & desires of the community, and the input from real racing drivers, we’re humbled to see that the existing approval from gamers is now also being reflected in overwhelmingly positive reviews and excitement from the racing community at large. It’s been a long journey but ultimately that journey is now in the hands of the players and we can’t wait to see your own career paths, your own stories you share on social media, and your own battles online. Thank you all so much.”
Team up and take down racing enthusiasts around with world with a multitude of multiplayer options that serve to build a solid community around Project CARS fans. Up to 16 players can race against each other in public or private races with the option to customize races to suit the room’s playstyle. While those who may not like the veracity of head-to-head racing can enter Driver Network Challenges. These challenges include regularly scheduled community events that allow players to complete specific scenarios to climb the ranks and gain bragging rights. Players can also compete against others in asynchronous time trials. Compete for record times across all the different tracks in the game, and if a little help is required, download ghost data from particular players to see just how they managed to shave off those precious seconds.
Armored Warfare Discusses Balancing Strategy
Obsidian Entertainment today released a document discussing their tactics for properly balancing vehicles in their upcoming modern armor team shooter, Armored Warfare. Finding the right line to walk between historical accuracy and competitive fun gameplay is never an easy task. But now we at least have a behind the scenes look at the thought process incorporated into this on-going process.
Before release, the developers look at a historical tank they wish to put in game and decide based on its real life performance, what tier the tank belongs to. Setting its tier and tank style is the first and foremost goal, done by establishing stats on key areas of the tank such as armor, speed, traverseability, etc. To be historically accurate, these numbers are typically sourced to books, encyclopedia, and military magazines written in the original language of the tank designers. Of course for the sake of gameplay, penetration values are lowered to ensure armor still plays a key role in the close and personal corridors of Armored Warfare. In order to make for more compelling gameplay, the more viable (and in real life more expensive) tank classes are toned down to put them on equal footing with the lesser tank classes as well.
Post-release Obsidian carefully monitors battle statistics to look for outliers proving too powerful or weak. While a pipeline is in place for efficiently analyzing mass amounts of data to immediately find balance offenders, sometimes more meticulous measures are required. For instance, a tank may be mediocre in the average players hands, but feature a hard to discover exploit that the highest tier of tankers discover and utilize. Keeping an eye on what the pros are up to and putting a damper on it before the knowledge filters down to the masses is a great way to avoid a lot of community QQ in the long run.
Perhaps the toughest challenge is rebalancing Premium Tanks that the community sunk their hard earned cash into. These tanks receive the most pre-launch testing to reduce the need to nerf them as much as possible once in the hands of the community. They’re typically placed in a safe zone below the estimated power of a fully upgraded regular tank to ensure that most nerfs will hit elsewhere rather than on these cash shop armors.
For the full details of Obsidian’s balance strategy, Armored Warfare
Paradox Brings Some Common Sense to Europa Universalis IV on June 9th
Thomas Paine’s Common Sense was the best selling pamphlet of Revolutionary America. Paradox’s Common Sense won’t tear down the pretensions of monarchy like Paine’s did, but it will give Europa Universalis IV new tools so players can manage the growth of their domains. With a focus on the art of ruling and national improvement, Common Sense adds depth to domestic rule and adds a number of major changes to diplomacy.
The most significant modification in Common Sense is the new provincial development system. Building space in a province is now limited by its terrain and Development Value. The more developed a province is, the greater wealth and power you can squeeze out of it. By spending monarch points, you can now customize your trading hubs or make great recruiting centers. Fewer, more powerful buildings means that every decision about construction has greater importance – if you want a manufactory and have no building slots in Champagne, what will you destroy?
Watch the teaser trailer here.
Other major features include:
• Parliaments: The English crown and other constitutional systems of government can now use their flexible system to pass laws through parliaments
• National Churches: Protestant kingdoms can customize their new faith and make it a true partner to the throne.
• New Religious Systems: Buddhism and Protestantism both get fresh coats of faith-based paint
• New Options For Subject States: Once just tiny money faucets, recent expansions have made vassals and colonial nations more useful. Common Sense gives you new tools to exploit them or keep them in line
• Government Ranks: As you invest in the development of your nation, you can climb from a small duchy to a major empire, unlocking new benefits.
• New Government mechanics: Theocracies will have new actions and mechanics to highlight their unique character, and the Holy Roman Empire can create Free Cities
As always, Common Sense will be accompanied by a host of free updates and improvements – including some significant changes to the map of Europe.
Common Sense will be available on major digital platforms on June 9, 2015.
NGames announces Epic RPG ‘Abyss’ Will Be Available Soon
NGames is happy to announce that Abyss-Dark Arisen will be arriving soon for players to enjoy. Abyss-Dark Arisen is a 3D ARPG browser game to be released in June, 2015 by NGames. Based on Flash 3D development, the game provides exquisite graphics, smooth character action and highly free combat mode. Players can choose from 3 classes and a variety of stunning skills, fight along with heroes in a fantasy world of sword and magic. Players can find more information at http://abyss.game321.com/.
Birth of Elements
Originally, the world was in chaos without lands, oceans, or skies. There was only coldness in the North and heat in the South. At the center, was a magnificent Tree of Life.
The Sky Goddess Una was born under the influence of cold and heat. Una was unhappy with the darkness, so she created four elements – earth, water, fire and wind by using the Tree of Life and four magic syllables. With these elements, Una created vast land, oceans and creatures.
Intelligent Lives
As time passed, there were gods, giants and elves. The gods and giants lived in harmony until the reign fight. After being defeated, the giants were exiled from Gods’ Garden. The elves were born from the Tree of Life.
To make a better world, the goddess carved figures out of wood based on her own figure and gave them life. Thus, a new species was born – human.
Una passed her wisdom to humans, elves and giants. Humans were good at creation. Elves were experts at learning and the giants who were simple-minded were natural battlers. Under the goddess’ blessing, they had a peaceful life.
Evil Dragon’s Plot
While Una was creating the world, the evil dragon born in the darkness was scheming to lock up Una, because it was unhappy that the darkness was replaced by the brightness. However, its plot was seen by Una. The evil dragon was imprisoned in a magical prison. The evil dragon cursed that one day the goddess would pay for this.
The Nightmare
The evil dragon’s chance finally came. The giants had been discontent since they were expelled from Gods’ Garden. A dark lord’s servant convinced the simple-minded giants that they would be the strongest as long as they pulled up the Tree of Life in the goddess’ garden. One day, the giants succeeded while the goddess was away. The Tree of Life withered and the elements without the energy source disappeared in the air.
Goddess’ Dusk
The world soon collapsed without the elements needed from the Tree of Life. The goddess supported the world and sealed the evil dragon in an abyss with all of her magic. Una was so tired. She left her body on the earth and put her mind to sleep. The blood from her body became the first flood in the world. Learning that they were deceived, the giants lifted up the mountains and created a shelter for people to make up for their wrongdoings. Using elven magic, the elves tried to stop the blood from spreading. Finally, the goddess’ divinity turned into stars protecting her kids. Her body became crystals buried in the deep abyss…
Beginning of Hope
The goddess left a final word before sleeping, “You are water, fire, wind and earth. All will return to chaos until you are recreated when doom comes.” Her message reveals that the crystals formed from the goddess’ body can be reunited to save this land. If the four elements can be summoned again, the world will recover to what it was.
Hundreds of years later, only the elders in surviving villages pass on the goddess’ prophecy. Eventually, humans found out that underground crystals contain massive power. At the same time, the evil dragon sealed in the abyss has summoned dark creatures to find the crystals so it can break away from the goddess’ shackles.
Players can receive more information on Abyss-Dark Arisen on the official website at http://abyss.game321.com/.
Total War: ARENA Match in Association with ESL Airs on May 23
Creative Assembly will be hosting a Total War: ARENA live event at the ESL Studios in Cologne, Germany. Livestreamed across Twitch, the event will offer viewers the chance to see live gameplay from the massive battle strategy game for the first time.
Total War: ARENA is a free-to-play, team-based strategy game, putting players in the middle of epic-scale battles. Using key elements of award-winning Total War™ design, it is made from the ground up for multiplayer real-time strategy fans, with 10v10 players going head-to-head.
The event will feature developers from the Total War: ARENA team, and the opposing sides will be formed of popular faces from the Total War community, with renowned eSports commentator Leigh “Deman” Smith casting on the day.
Hosted live from 5pm until 9pm (CEST) on the Total War Twitch channel the event takes place on Saturday, May 23rd.
For anyone in Cologne that weekend, Creative Assembly and ESL are offering a limited amount of guest passes to the studio. To attend the event, mix with the developers and TW community stars and a chance to play Total War: ARENA, sign up today using the following link: https://totalwararenaesl.eventbrite.com
For further information on the game and this event, head over to the Total War: ARENA Facebook page: facebook.com/TotalWarArena.
To sign up for Closed Alpha go to: https://nda.creative-assembly.com/total-war-arena-closed-alpha. The Closed Alpha is currently only available to EU regions, with US servers coming soon.
Deck Heroes Sky Arena Challenge Announced
Global game developer IGG (I Got Games) is adding an all new special feature to Deck Heroes.
Are you ready for a challenge? Then get ready to test you’re might on the ancient battlegrounds of the Sky Arena…
Aloof standing in the mountains above the magic palace, where the ancient gods reside in the “Sky Arena”; according to the annals of historical record, it bears an extraordinary magic with his army swept through the whole continent, but in the palace there were imprisoned many conquerors of powerful soul, never again to gaze on the light of day. After bidding farewell to the ancient gods, their smiles lost long ago, this continent, “where people try to challenge me! If you are able to match the strength of courage, then I will give you glory.”
How it works!
1. Players with Sky Arena recommended cards in their Deck will receive bonus Fame. The higher you place in the Fame rankings, the greater the rewards that await you!
2. During the event, certain cards recommended by the Sky Arena will gain the ability to grant Bonus Fame. The use of such Creatures in your Deck will increase the Fame you receive from a match. The use of multiple recommended Creatures in a Deck will greatly boost the amount of Fame you receive from a match. (Note: You can use Gems to draw the recommended cards from the Altar)
3. Based on their abilities, players will be able select from the 3 different gates, Mortal, Elite and Heroic. The stronger the opponent, the more Fame to gain from a match!
Europa Universalis IV: Common Sense Announcement Teaser
Europa Universalis IV teases Common Sense, a new expansion which introduces provincial development, new government mechanics, and more.
Vainglory Hero Spotlight: Krul
An overview of the persistent Krul in Vainglory.








