The next Starcraft 2 patch will separate your MMR (matchmaking rating) by race
- By Ash
- in News
Starcraft 2's matchmaking system is pretty damn good at finding you equally skilled opponents, which is both a blessing and a curse. Learning one race takes months and months of dedication, during which you will slowly advance through the ranks and face off against players doing the same, but should you decide to switch to a race you know nearly nothing about... well, that's where the problem lies.
While you might be a Diamond Protoss player, your rank rank as a Terran could potentially be somewhere around Gold, purely due to the different mechanics and playstyles the races require. As of right now, your options are either to get completely destroyed over and over again until you fall to your proper rating with the Terran race, or to simply never play them on the official ladder which means your skills will improve at a much slower pace, further propagating the problem. No matter which way you go about it, the end result is quite clearly not ideal.
Thankfully, Blizzard has finally decided to do something about it! The next Starcraft 2 update (3.7) will essentially separate your MMR (matchmaking rating) by race, so you'll never again need to worry about swapping over to your 'bad' races. If you're wondering how all of this works, here's a brief rundown from Blizzard themselves:
Tales of Symphonia has been updated with support for 4K resolutions, MSAA, and a couple of graphical upgrades
- By Ash
- in News
When Tales of Symphonia launched on Steam back in February it was a complete mess. There were numerous bugs, constant crashes, the resolution options didn't even work for some people, and to top it all off, it pretty much had no graphics settings to speak off!
To Bandai Namco's credit, however, the team has managed to fix the majority of these issues over the past few months, and if the most recent patch is any judge, they aren't done just yet. In an update that came out a couple of days ago they have added support for 4K resolutions, MSAA, improved character and object outlines, as well as a few other graphical tweaks to hopefully correct some of the remaining issues. Here are the patch notes:
Wasteland 3 has been announced, it will come with co-op multiplayer
- By Ash
- in News
[Update]: Turn-Based RPG Wasteland 3 has now made its way to PC and consoles!
Wasteland 2 is not a perfect game, not by any stretch, but it is still an immensely enjoyable old school RPG with a rather captivating story. As such, I am incredibly happy to let you know that Wasteland 3 has just been announced, and best of all, it will support co-op multiplayer!
While Wasteland 3 will definitely feature a wasteland, it won't be the same one from Wasteland 2, but rather an entirely new icy hellhole located in Colorado. This also means you will not have an already established Ranged base to rely on, you will have to do everything yourself! You'll have to scour the land for buried secrets and lost technology, trade and ally with the rather... colorful locals, and ultimately decide the fate of the region itself. No pressure!
Since there isn't much information available right now, allow me to share with you the official "What is Wasteland 3?" fact sheet:
Extremely detailed Titanfall 2 system requirements have been revealed
- By Ash
- in News
As someone that always trailed a few steps behind the latest and greatest in PC technology I've become rather accustomed to looking up system requirements. I say this because in all my years I have never seen a developer write a longer, or more detailed explanation of what sort of hardware you'll need to play their game than Titanfall 2's Drew McCoy!
If you're interested in all of the details, and this includes several graphs showcasing the FPS fluctuations at different settings, you can find them by heading over here. On the other hand, if you're just looking for the system requirements, here they are:
Yooka-Laylee's latest gameplay video is a good example of why the classic platformers should make a return
- By Ash
- in News
I am a big fan of serious games with mature storytelling, but every once in a while I like to take things easy and just relax alongside a lovely collectathon. There is just something truly blissful about running around in a massive world, completely carefree and only worried about the amount of shiny items you've collected so far. Unfortunately, the genre has pretty much become extinct in recent years, a far cry from the popularity it once held worldwide.
There is some hope on the horizon, however, as Playtonic's Yooka-Laylee seems to be exactly what the genre needs in order to get back on its feet. Not only is it a spiritual successor to the excellent Banjo-Kazooie, but it also appears to be an equally excellent game in its own right! If you're wondering what that might look like, here's the recently posted gameplay video showcasing 25 minutes of Yooka-Laylee action. Skip to around 2:20 if you're just interested in the gameplay:
Tribes: Ascend has received its final few gameplay changes as a part of the "Parting Gifts" update
- By Ash
- in News
Ever since Hi-Rez Studios essentially abandoned Tribes: Ascend in favor of SMITE the game has been on a slow decline, a massive shame given that it is truly a one-of-a-kind shooter. While the story would usually end there, back in March Hi-Rez released an absolutely titanic update for Tribes Ascend that pretty much rebalanced every single aspect of gameplay, and with it brought back the once loyal fanbase.
The following updates weren't so revolutionary, but they did slowly push Tribes: Ascend towards some sort of a balanced state, even though many will argue it still has plenty of problems. One of the biggest among them, at least as far as gameplay feel is concerned, is the annoying screenshake that happens when someone's pelting you with chaingun fire. As you can imagine, trying to aim back at your opponent while standing in the middle of an earthquake is a fairly difficult thing to do, especially when everyone is flying around at 300km/h!
If you hated the screenshake as much as I have, you'll be extremely happy to hear that Hi-Rez has decided to completely remove it as a part of the final "Parting Gifts" update! Naturally, the final update for Tribes: Ascend doesn't just contain a fix for the screenshake, it also brings with it a variety of bug fixes and balance changes. Here are the patch notes:
The Tau Empire has arrived to Battlefleet Gothic: Armada with a brand new trailer
- By Ash
- in News
After a rather successful beta test the Tau Empire has now arrived to Battlefleet Gothic: Armada's growing multiplayer roster. Best of all, everyone who purchased the game within two months from launch will be granted this DLC for free!
If you're a fan of the Tau Empire, or at the very least a fan of gigantic ships and even bigger laser weaponry, you'll be happy to hear that the recently posted trailer has plenty of both on display. Have a look: