When it comes to PvP Destiny can be a little “laggy.”
“Lag!” “Red-bar Banner” These are common things heard when playing PvP on Destiny. Bungie stated that PvP is peer-to-peer which means you connect to the person with the best connection, from there hosting rotates depending on speed of the connection. People from outside the U.S. typically have less than favorable connections. This causes lag in the game. Lag causes people to “rage quit” or “rage post” on Twitter. What people need to understand is that Destiny is made possible by Activision through Bungie. Bungie designed and created the game, Activision gave them the money to help see it through. Activision is still supporting servers for “CoD: Black Ops 2.” These center-located servers allow for amazing connections to PvP play. Bungie is still supporting Halo servers as well if I’m not mistaken. Yes, there are a TON of people that play this game, yes a TON of money has been made by these companies. People are asking so many things of Bungie, content, customization, custom matches, etc. This among wanting dedicated servers to play PvP. I agree that we should have dedicated servers based on location and you connect to whatever server gives you the best connection. Dedicated servers work in a way that if that server gets full you’re then routed to the next available server. The issue with this is that you may live in the Northwest, and connect to a server in Denver. That creates latency, while latency is measured in milliseconds that the difference between killing or being killed in PvP. Latency and lag are similar but slightly different. Latency works in the terms of data loss, lag is what you see from that data loss. Example would be when you try to pick up an ammo crate and you can’t, then suddenly you get the ammo when not near it. Here is how that breaks down. You run up to the crate and attempt to pick it up, the host server doesn’t get this request because it’s still “in flight” meanwhile you run away, and then the packet for your request shows up. This all appears on screen as lag. In the end the griping about servers and PvP play in Destiny will not stop until Activision and Bungie decide as one to have dedicated servers. These cost A LOT of money monthly. Activision owns the servers they have as so does Bungie. Until BO2 and Halo die these servers will not used for another game, although I would speculate that in time there will be servers for Destiny. Sources: https://www.reddit.com/r/DestinyTheGame/comments/330oi5/misc_dedicated_servers_these_are_not_the_solution/ https://m.reddit.com/r/DestinyTheGame/comments/2ymfkx/discussion_its_time_for_bungie_to_implement/ http://liveqos.com/latency-vs-lag-whats-the-difference/ Image Source: http://www.vg247.com/2015/02/20/destinys-iron-banner-seems-to-have-a-lag-problem/
Crackdown 3 Proves Xbox One Most Powerful Console In The Cloud
The latest from the development forefronts has been dedicated servers and never before has the power of those servers been so evident. The power of the cloud is here with the latest rendition in the Crackdown series. If you played the first two titles the third will leave you feeling much more satisfied as the world that surrounds you in game will be completely destructible. Before, explosions were simply fire and smoke animations coming from a chard frame of a slightly grayer outlined vehicle – Image Taken In-Game From The Original Crackdown Crackdown 3 is bringing the BOOM, allowing you to shoot holes in walls, smash into sides of buildings or even bring down the entire structure if you wish! How are they able to do that you ask? Here’s the skinny: Crackdown 3 is seen as a city divided into distinct sections, each area is controlled by a single server. Of course all of this goes on behind the scenes so to the player it feels like one giant open world. When the player starts blasting things in an area, the physics calculations are then sent to the server where you’re currently playing. The results are then sent back to your Xbox One, where you then see everything from a single bullet hole to even a full skyscraper tumbling down. Sounds simple on paper but the business end of what’s going on here is something that hasn’t been seen before in the gaming industry. Or, at very least not at this scale and scope. Reports are saying it takes as much as 13 times the power of a single Xbox One to power the Crackdown 3 simulation! If this report is true, that would make the Xbox One the most powerful console In this current/next gen gaming race with the assistance of the cloud. Watch the Crackdown 3 First Look Trailer and see the action for yourself! Get blasting your way into talking about the amazing power of the cloud over on the forums!
Deej Reveals Details about The Taken King with IGN
Bungie Community Manager Deej sat down with Fran Mirabella III from IGN to discuss details about The Taken King. Throughout the interview there are excerpts from the first Taken King story mission on phobos as well as some new crucible gameplay. Deej shares that there will be new ways to declare allegiance to a faction. You can walk up to a faction leader and declare allegiance and receive faction specific bounties to receive rewards more directly instead of using faction items, requiring less guessing and more receiving. Overall Bungie is trying to make Destiny more rewarding with a clearer line between you and what you want. The name of the new raid, being referred to as the biggest raid ever in Destiny, is revealed to be the Kings Fall . The Court of Oryx , which is a player instigated public event where you go up against different combinations of bosses and scenarios, is also mentioned. The new level cap of 40 is attained by playing the game, all XP based. However Light level is still important. Light is the combination of your attack and defense rating on your weapons and armor, it is how powerful you are. Some missions will have a light level suggestion for you to equip yourself to be able to best complete that mission. Deej explains how the transition from current Destiny levels to The Taken King will work. You will step into TTK with the level you are at the time of launch. So, if on Sept 14th you are a level 34 you will enter TTK as a level 34. If you are lower level, say 26 for example you will still enter as a 26, but there are missions and things for you to do to quickly level up. One way Bungie will help guardians who are a bit behind level up faster is through a new consumable they are offering to all who purchase TTK. For example, if you are a level 12 or are brand new to the game you can use this boost consumable and it will boost you up to the appropriate level to play TTK. This exact level is not yet announced. This also helps if you start a new character that you want to try out with new supers on even as a veteran player. Bungie wants you to be able to focus on the mysterious of the Dreadnaught and the missions themselves rather than the mystery of how to level up. They want to be more respectful of the players’ time and to reward the players’ time better. Year one legendaries, as we know by now, are not going to be available for upgrading to TTK levels. However, they are still very viable in normal crucible, where power doesn’t matter. Previous content will also provide viable places to use year one weapons. Plus new players who boost up might see your year one weapons and be jealous and be interested in how and where you got them. For those still not convinced, have no fear because there are also many new weapons, foundries, options and customizations coming with TTK. Deej goes on to give a great explanation as to why weapons like Gjallarjhorn need some changes. He explains it as follows. If there is only one go to weapon for a certain activity they are doing it wrong. That one of the coolest things to hear is when gamers share their favorite weapons from certain games and they want each version of Destiny we play to have new sets of favorites. They want you to have a reason to think about using weapons you may have ignored before, that may be just as good or better for that section of content. For a much more suave explanation check out the video, for this particular section go to around 12mins in. From watching the new crucible gameplay that is shown during the interview you may notice the points or Xp rolling off of kills and assists are much higher. It appears that a normal kill is worth around 1,000 and an assist is around 500 instead. When asked about vault space Deej said “Before the game launches, I am going to make a pledge to you, we are going to have a live walk through of the tower. We are going to show how the tower is a functional space that enables you…” They are going to show how it enables you to collect, progress, pick missions, . They will show how all of that is going to work through some new systems they have coming online with TTK. For the full interview check out the video below. Warning: there may be some spoilers included in the excerpts from the first story mission. If you are a guardian wanting to be totally surprised during story missions the first few minutes of this interview may be an audio only experience for you. (The mission gameplay ends a the 3:57 mark). Destiny: The Taken King New Gameplay and Info – IGN Live: Gamescom 2015
Ori And The Blind Forest Expansion Coming
Thomas Mahler from Moon Studios, developer of Ori And The Blind Forest, reveled earlier today that an expansion of the breathtaking game will be coming to Windows 10 & Xbox One later this year. Have you had a chance to try this title out? The designs look very hand drawn and you can tell allot of love went into the look and feel of the game. Will you be picking up this expansion? If so, what way do you like? Windows 10 or X1? Tell us what your thoughts are in the comments section below.
Destiny: The Taken King Official Prologue Cinematic Revealed
The official Destiny: The Taken King Prologue Cinematic was released yesterday. It features the narration of familiar character Eris Morn, voiced by Morla Goorondona. The prologue starts with Eris explaining that guardians slay Crota and his father Oryx “smells the blood on your hands”. Check out the full cinematic below and let us know if it gave you chills, like it did us.
Nero announced for PS4 and PC as well, no longer Xbox exclusive
Storm in a Teacup and SOEDESCO have announced that although originally exclusive to Xbox One, their first person puzzler Nero will be releasing on both PS4 and PC early next year. Nero is an emotional journey through a world of both darkness and light that is reminiscent of a Thomas Kinkade painting. There is little narrative throughout the game as the studio opts to provide the story visually during gameplay. As you progress, the game’s script is on the screen as part of the game’s environment in a way that truly ties you into the story emotionally. Told through the eyes of a parent, Nero’s journey focuses on exploring a child’s sickness and how it impacts both parents. Along your journey, you must solve puzzles to progress and recover pieces of photos to provide more details on your character’s back story. The visuals and audio in Nero blend brilliantly with the game are directly impacted by your location in the game and your progress. It is available now on Xbox One only with PS4 and PC release due for early 2016.
Battleborn – release date and new characters revealed
Battleborn, the upcoming first person shooter reminiscent of Borderlands due for release on Xbox One has finally gotten a release date. This morning, 2K has announced that the game will launch exclusively on Xbox One come February 9th, 2016. The game is set in the proverbial distant future with a total of 25 playable characters that will be available for use. For brand new characters; Ambra, Mellka, Reyna, and Benedict, were all announced today for the first time as well. In Battleborn every hero has their own distinct personality and comes equipped with their own unique weapons and powers. Through Battleborn’s Helix System, players will fully experience each hero’s leveling progression in a single story mission or competitive multiplayer match. As far as a description of the four new characters announced today, they are Ambra: Born into an ancient order of priestesses responsible for discovering a way to prolong life indefinitely, Ambra was betrayed by her leader and her faction, the Jennerit Empire, and now fights alongside the Battleborn. She is a specialist hero, dealing damage up close through her melee attacks and powerful abilities, while healing her allies in the process. Mellka: A stealthy assassin, Mellka lost her parents at a young age before eventually earning her place among the Eldrid’s black op’s and intelligence bureau. Her life has been defined by a series of staggering losses, but her response to these losses was never despair – it was fury. She strikes quickly, disorienting foes with her nerve gas machine pistol and bio-glaive melee attacks. Reyna: Known by her followers as “The Valkyrie,” Reyna was born aboard the Rogue faction’s ailing junk heap of a flagship and is a native to the last star system. Reyna has fought tirelessly for the freedom of her space pirate comrades, finding her calling as their inspirational leader. She dishes damage with her laser pistol and uses her command glove to support her teammates. Benedict: August Benedict Jr. is one of several surviving races of bird-like “Aviant” refugees. He swore allegiance to the Peacekeepers where he’s gained considerable notoriety for being a self-centered jerk that’s capable of astounding destruction with his rocket launcher. Double jumping, rocket jumping, and flying – Benedict’s good at all of them and he lets his teammates know it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iueAjbUG8Dw
Technomancer premiere gameplay footage released during Gamescom
Focus Home Interactive and Spider Studios revealed some brand new information about their upcoming Cyber-punk RPG The Technomancer at Gamescom today. Set on Mars, we see the protagonist Zachariah on the run from the secret police as he attempts to communicate with Earth. In a timeline long after a human colonization of Mars, Zachariah is searching for artifacts of the past including humans scarred by past cataclysms. Being an RPG, The Technomancer will feature three different combat systems as well as incorporate companions into the story for you to control as you progress. Each of these companions will be able to level up and utilize their own separate abilities in order to assist Zachariah along his journey. Some of the features that will be prominent in The Technomancer are A unique and thrilling science-fiction RPG experience set on the Red Planet. Bond with numerous unique and interesting companions and reveal secrets about their past. Manage their inventory and level up your companions. Up to five different endings for many quests changing the conclusions and rewards – even the people you’ll meet and journey with! A dynamic crafting system that changes the visual appearance of weapon and armor. Play as a Technomancer – a combat proficient warrior with use of cybernetically enhanced magical abilities. There will be many different cities you can explore while on Mars and it is not just running around a desolate planet. Focus Home and Spider Studios have re-imagined Mars as a colonized planet now and as a result, these cities will all have their own respective features pivotal to the game’s story. A deep crafting system has also been mentioned but until now we’ve received little information on it. We’ve reached out to Focus Home for more information and will let you know what we find out. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cY-Ip09lQGA
