by Stone Marshall | Jan 14, 2017 | Minecraft News, Minecraft questions |
It just hit Wii U
Minecraft just hit the Wii U fairly recently (in the grand scheme of Minecraft‘s lengthy lifespan, that is), but like most things that went to die on the Wii U, it’s also coming to the Switch so you can buy it again like it didn’t just happen.
Buried within the announcement for the Switch lineup was a pretty uneventful confirmation that one of the most popular games of all time is heading to their new console. All of the features are basic stuff and nothing extra is known so far in regards to how Switchy this port might be, but it exists if you want it.
My guess is all of the Wii U DLC, including the Mario Mash-Up pack, is fair game.
Hold your blocks: Minecraft is also coming to the Switch
by Stone Marshall | Jan 14, 2017 | Minecraft News, Minecraft questions |
SKANEATELES — Nova Smith, 9 punched a zombie in the face.
Smith and the other young members of the “Minecraft” Club in the Skaneateles Library were adventuring as their own custom-made characters in the wildly popular video game on Jan. 4.
The weekly club, which has been going on since November, lets children play the game together on their respective handheld devices, as the game has a function that allows them to play in each other’s digitized worlds of their own creation.
“You can play on your own and that’s fun, but they can play together,” said Nickie Marquis, the library’s director.
“Minecraft” gives players an open, cubic environment they can modify and build upon with a set of tools that allows them to realize almost whatever they want. The creative mode involves players designing their own environments, including meticulously made structures if the player decides to put time into them, while the adventure mode involves fighting and exploration.
The Microsoft-owned game has amassed a devoted following and carved out a large portion of the cultural landscape since it debuted in 2011. Fans often interact on social media, and there are numerous channels on YouTube and other websites dedicated to the game. Spin-offs, adaptations, merchandise and more have spawned from it as well. A feature film is currently set for 2019.
At Skaneateles Library, the children talk to each other while simultaneously dealing with whatever they are doing in the game. The player’s digital avatar can be mining for iron and stone one moment, then storming a dungeon-type area with friends the next.
Nova Smith, wearing a Captain America shirt in the real world while exploring his virtual surroundings as a character he created that bears an uncanny resemblance to Spongebob Squarepants, said he enjoys the freedom the game gives, from finding different items to exploring numerous areas to the aforementioned zombie-punching.
“Right now I’m trying to get out of the water,” Nova explained as he attempted to get his character out of a large body of water.
Nova’s mother, Melissa Smith, who created the club, was watching her son play in the library. She said she likes the social and educational aspect of “Minecraft,” since major portions of the game involve building things with various resources and figuring out problems.
Tom Franks, who was there with his son Alex Franks, 8, also appreciates the design-based elements.
“Typical game, you’re tearing stuff, shooting people,” he said. “In ‘Minecraft’ you’re making things, making buildings.”
Building blocks: Kids learn, explore at ‘Minecraft’ Club at Skaneateles Library
by Stone Marshall | Jan 13, 2017 | Minecraft News, Minecraft questions |
“Minecraft,” the iconic sandbox game by Mojang, is one of the most popular games in the world and is most distinguishable by the boxy texture of its in-game world. With Microsoft’s acquisition of the developer back in 2014, the game has since become a phenomenon worldwide and is now available to most gaming platforms.
With its popularity, it is no surprise that the game is bestseller. In fact, “Minecraft” has already reached another milestone recently, with Mojang having already sold over 25 million copies of the title.
The latest figure came from the Minecraft sales statistics page, MS Power User reported. The PC and Mac versions of the game combined have now sold 25,079,997 at the time this article is written. In fact, the title is selling like hotcakes, having sold 8,418 copies within the last 24 hours alone.
The sales figure is still incomplete though. The figure only comprises the sales for its PC and Mac version which are considered to be the original and main version of the game contributing to a huge chunk of its revenues.
But the figure is bound to get bigger if sales from other platforms are taken into account. Sales for the “Minecraft” Windows 10 and Pocket Editions are expected to pick up with the recently introduced version 1.0 to the Windows 10 and Pocket Editions versions of the game.
Mojang is slowly bridging the gap between the mobile, console and the PC / Mac versions of the game. Previously, each platform plays a different version of the game resulting in a drastically different gaming experience one may get depending on which platform one plays the game.
On the console side, Mojang is likewise upgrading “Minecraft” for the platform. The developer introduced last December 2016 the version 1.10 for consoles, adding a host of improvements like mods, blocks, and even wings, Game Spot reported.
The most exciting addition introduced by the version 1.10 for consoles is the Elytra described to be a chestplate-slot item allowing players to gain wings. Players can jump from high ledges and glide gracefully to the ground, the rate of fall can be controlled by looking up to gain altitude or looking down to glide to the ground.
With the updates in place, “Minecraft” players will definitely appreciate the more uniform gameplay experience across all platforms. Meanwhile, check out the video below released by Team Mojang showcasing The Ender Update.
‘Minecraft’ PC and Mac versions breach 25 million copies sold
by Stone Marshall | Jan 13, 2017 | Minecraft News, Minecraft questions |
Microsoft Japan is pushing the sales of Xbox One in the country with the Xbox One S bundled with “Minecraft.” The reason behind the bundle is to boost the otherwise lackluster sales the console has been suffering from during recent times.
The release of the Xbox One S bundle will be on Jan. 26, according to Dual Shockers. The bundle will contain a 500GB variant of the Xbox One S, which will cost around 29,980 yen ($261.4) in addition to taxes.
The price of the console coincides with the local price of the PS4. However, the difference is that the Xbox One version of “Minecraft” will be included in the box, as well as a download voucher for the Windows 10 version of the game as well.
Additionally, the bundle will also contain the “Favorites Pack” and the “Builder’s Pack,” which is included in the western release bundle for the Xbox One S. The packs will include seven and six DLCs respectively, and it certainly helps get players started with the game.
The move is surprisingly smart and relevant, as “Minecraft” enjoys a relatively good amount of popularity in Japan, according to Gaming Bolt. It is the best-selling Vita game of all time in the country, selling more than a million copies ever since its release. Meanwhile, its Wii U version still thrives ever since its launch, selling about a quarter million copies.
With this, “Minecraft” still remains to be the highest selling Microsoft-published game of all time in the country. It could be the primary reason why the tech giant made the move in the first place.
In any case, it will be interesting to see how it will augment the Xbox One sales in Japan, as the deal certainly offers good value. However, it is still worth noting that the console platform only has a few games the Japanese audience care about, and it will certainly present a challenge.
‘Minecraft’ update: Japanese Xbox One S bundle features game for $261.4
by Stone Marshall | Jan 12, 2017 | Minecraft News, Minecraft questions |
The Division is currently heading toward yet another major patch, 1.6, one that developer Massive has said is going to focus mainly on PvP. They’ve assembled another Elite Task Force of players and community members to give them suggestions, something that’s worked out rather well for them in the past, but the focus on PvP has sparked some of some of the most intense debates about the game since its launch.
Right now, the topic of the moment is whether or not The Division’s famous Dark Zone should get a PvE component at last, rather than simply continuing on with the PvPvE format it’s had since launch. I believe this debate began in earnest when SkillUp, a Division YouTuber, dedicated an entire ongoing video series to the PvP patch, and reversed a long-time position he’s held that yes, it’s finally time for the Dark Zone to get a PvE variant. Since then, The Division subreddit, the main fan platform for the game, has been swamped with everyone weighing in about the issue, and after watching this for about a week, I wanted to throw my hat in the ring. I’m no YouTuber, but I’ve probably written more about The Division than any other single games journalist out there, and I have a few thoughts of my own, for the two or three people that may want to hear them.
If you have been following my work for any amount of time, you’ll know that I’ve been pretty anti-Dark Zone/Division PvP from the very beginning. Back in June, I called The Dark Zone a failed experiment, and today, I still stand by the assessment. In fact, that description seems more appropriate than ever.
To sum up The Division in its current form, the game is a very good PvE looter which is being restrained from being truly great thanks to balance concerns with PvP. There have been countless items, builds, talents and perks that The Division has nerfed in order to retain some semblance of PvP balance. While many of these things may have been just fine in PvE, they unbalanced PvP so dramatically, the build or item was killed for both modes. This has happened time and time again, and with a PvP patch looming, that seems destined to happen again with current top-tier builds (AlphaBridge, RIP, most likely).
Ah, the glory of the pre-nerf Midas (Photo: Ubisoft)
SkillUp makes a good point when he references other loot-based games that have tried PvP. It rarely, if ever works, and when it does, you’re sacrificing a lot to make it that way. Diablo 2 and 3 each had bare-bones PvP modes that were comically unbalanced and shoved away in tiny corners of the game. But a game like Destiny has crafted a pretty effective PvP system, though it’s done so by normalizing damage and armor levels in many modes, and by limiting build diversity severely. You will not see multi-piece gear sets with crazy bonuses in Destiny like you do in Diablo or The Division. This makes PvP more competitive, but it really limits overall build potential, which is a complaint I’ve had about Destiny since the very start.
The Division has been moving in a very good direction by introducing cool new sets and items that really change the way the game is played. I have never had more fun in The Division than I have after 1.5, assembling full AlphaBridge, Firecrest, Frontline and Striker sets on my four characters, and despite the fact that The Division has no different “classes,” having the ability to effectively create new ones with these builds has been great. And yet, the amount of truly “good” sets is limited by PvP balance issues, and many that used to be good are now either worse or just garbage for PvE and PvP.
I am not as optimistic as SkillUp and certain players that A) The Division PvP can be saved or B) that The Division PvP is even worth saving. While no, I’m not calling for its removal from the game, I do not think that The Division’s increasingly great PvE should be hamstrung by the roughly 10% of the game that’s geared-up Dark Zone PvP.
PvP can still exist in Survival, which is the Rust-like battle royale The Division’s PvP probably always should have been from the start. Here there are less balance issues to worry about because everyone has the same, relatively crappy gear, and no one has time to make min-maxed builds.
Photo: Ubisoft
Dark Zone PvP is another story, and this is where we get into the great PvE Dark Zone debate.
If you asked me around launch whether The Division should have a PvE version of the Dark Zone, I would have immediately said yes, without question. But today, even though I hold the same opinion, I ultimately care a lot less about it. Why? Because of how the game has evolved since then. PvE is in a great spot in The Division right now. You can do one of a zillion activities to gear up in the Light Zone, from missions to HVTs to LZ bosses to Incursions to Underground to Survival. There’s actually so much to do, I really don’t even think a PvE Dark Zone would add all that much to the game given how many great options there are for PvE farming already. This was absolutely not the case for a long while after launch, hence why a PvE DZ back then would have been such a great addition at the time.
With that said, I see nothing empirically wrong with splitting the DZ into PvP and PvE variants. It’s not taking anything away from PvP players other than easy targets who aren’t geared for PvP and just trying to farm in the DZ. But it opens up a whole enormous section of the map that many players have probably avoided to this point for even more farming opportunities.
The DZ isn’t going to be the most efficient place to farm, even if you’re not having to look over your shoulder for Rogue agents. Limited bag size and extraction are a pain in the ass, and while mobs are plentiful in the DZ, they often take forever to repopulate.
But the DZ is arguably one of the best designed farming locations on the map. Enemy encounters are larger in scale, more numerous and a lot more tense than they are in the light zone, and it’s a hell of a place to explore. I know there are many players who probably played the DZ a handful of times, hated it, and never went back. Well, starting up a PvE variant would practically be like free DLC that opened up 30% more of the map.
Photo: Ubisoft
The problem seems to be that Massive just doesn’t want to let the DZ go. They want to hold on to their original intent of having the place be “high risk, high reward,” as is the common phrase, and judging by their comments and streams, many of them are huge PvP players themselves. While again, I don’t begrudge PvP continuing to exist, I do not think that’s what most of the community enjoys playing, nor do I believe that Massive should be hurting the aspect of the game it gets right, PvE farming, in order to try and make its never-going-to-actually-be-good PvP a little better.
There are more complicated issues at hand here, and there probably isn’t space here to go through them all. I would suggest you watch SkillUp’s video series for yourself. I agree with some of his suggestions, like tiers for a group PvP DZ, a normal PvP DZ and a PvE DZ, but I disagree with the idea that DZ funds should be used to purchase god-rolled maxed items Massive hand-crafts for vendors. Putting “perfect” items in any one activity alone is never a good idea in a game like this, as it hurts everything else besides that activity. And I think he had a cool idea about different premade classes for PvP matches, though I’m less sure about his plan to give victimized, non-Rogue players crazy buffs like 100% movespeed and such when Rogues first descend on them. It’s too convoluted and still wouldn’t fix a lot of the core problems with the system. But at least he’s trying to problem solve.
My own opinions are more cut and dry. The Division should continue to shift focus away from PvP, letting it exist in Survival and one DZ variant, but not letting it lead to nerfs for fun PvE builds. I’m trying to imagine what a game like Diablo 3 would be like if it tried to balance its gear sets for PvP play, and it would be an utter nightmare. For The Division, rather than broad nerfs that affect all game modes, if something is a serious problem? Ban it. Is that one weapon talent or sniper rifle or gear set making the DZ crazily unbalanced? Well, you can’t enter with it, and you can’t equip it there. The end. Problem solve that way, rather than nerfing things that destroy viable, fun PvE builds. As much as I’ve enjoyed getting gear sets the past few weeks, it’s incredibly irritating that only 3 or 4 out of 13 feel at all viable. It doesn’t have to be like that, and PvP is the main culprit as to why so many of these sets are so useless or dull.
The Division is a great loot-shooter. It is a not a great PvP game, and never will be. Focus on what works and continue to improve it. Don’t sacrifice any more of this game on the altar of PvP, as it’s lost too much already.
Yes, It’s Time For ‘The Division’ To Get A PvE Dark Zone At Last
by Stone Marshall | Jan 11, 2017 | Minecraft News, Minecraft questions |
Forget Half-Life 3, Star Citizen is officially gaming’s most perplexing, compelling mystery release at this point. While HL3 is more a question if Valve ever feels like making video games again, Star Citizen is another animal entirely, a game that’s very publicly in development with a practically unlimited budget thanks to a never-ending army of crowdfunding backers buying virtual spaceships that either don’t exist yet, or can’t be used in a fully-fledged game.
There’s perhaps no real significance to Star Citizen’s latest grand total, $141 million, other than the fact that it’s what’s now in the warchest heading into 2017. But there’s something both impressive and perverse about Star Citizen’s funding at this point. It’s raised more than the budget of most AAA games and movies at this point, and the money has almost turned into its own little mini-game. Fans “win” and get increasingly excited the more money the game brings in, somehow validating their own decision to give (invest!) and maybe give a little more. There’s an interactive widget on the RSI site that lets you see the cash come rolling in almost in real time, and you can break it down by how many thousands are rolling in per hour, tens of thousands per day, or hundreds of thousands per month.
I’m not going to park myself in the “this is gross because people should be donating to charity, not a video game” camp because that’s a flawed argument that doesn’t make much sense. People don’t understand that Star Citizen backers don’t feel like they’re donating to a charity, rather they’re “co-investors” in one of the most ambitious sci-fi video games of all time. The money lets them lay claim to virtual real estate (a ship, usually) and makes them feel like they’re a part of something. “I’m proud to have helped alittle bit [sic]. Love this game,” says a random person on my FB news feed as they share news of this funding milestone.
Photo: CIG
With that said, from outside the bubble, things feel like they’ve gotten a little out of hand. Like most crowd-funded games, Star Citizen had fund-raising stretch goals once upon a time, but those were cut off ages ago, and yet the money keeps pouring in for…what, exactly?
Photo: CIG
Forget Half-Life 3, Star Citizen is officially gaming’s most perplexing, compelling mystery release at this point. While HL3 is more a question if Valve ever feels like making video games again, Star Citizen is another animal entirely, a game that’s very publicly in development with a practically unlimited budget thanks to a never-ending army of crowdfunding backers buying virtual spaceships that either don’t exist yet, or can’t be used in a fully-fledged game.
There’s perhaps no real significance to Star Citizen’s latest grand total, $141 million, other than the fact that it’s what’s now in the warchest heading into 2017. But there’s something both impressive and perverse about Star Citizen’s funding at this point. It’s raised more than the budget of most AAA games and movies at this point, and the money has almost turned into its own little mini-game. Fans “win” and get increasingly excited the more money the game brings in, somehow validating their own decision to give (invest!) and maybe give a little more. There’s an interactive widget on the RSI site that lets you see the cash come rolling in almost in real time, and you can break it down by how many thousands are rolling in per hour, tens of thousands per day, or hundreds of thousands per month.
I’m not going to park myself in the “this is gross because people should be donating to charity, not a video game” camp because that’s a flawed argument that doesn’t make much sense. People don’t understand that Star Citizen backers don’t feel like they’re donating to a charity, rather they’re “co-investors” in one of the most ambitious sci-fi video games of all time. The money lets them lay claim to virtual real estate (a ship, usually) and makes them feel like they’re a part of something. “I’m proud to have helped alittle bit [sic]. Love this game,” says a random person on my FB news feed as they share news of this funding milestone.
Photo: CIG
With that said, from outside the bubble, things feel like they’ve gotten a little out of hand. Like most crowd-funded games, Star Citizen had fund-raising stretch goals once upon a time, but those were cut off ages ago, and yet the money keeps pouring in for…what, exactly?
CIG’s Chris Roberts released a sort of mini “state of the union” announcement as the new year began, but one so vague it almost seemed like a parody.
“Gameplay will get deeper as new systems come online to provide players the chance to do more than pew-pew,” he says. “I also expect exciting advancements as we integrate our revolutionary tech, like subsumption and procedural planets, into the game.”
“2016 was a noteworthy year in Star Citizen’s development. 2017 with Squadron 42 and Alpha 3.0 is looking to be even better.”
Star Citizen has so far missed every single full release date it’s set for itself, between SC itself and spin-off game Squadron 42. That’s become par for the course, and now the tone of this is more or less “we did great work last year, expect more great work this year” without any real indication of when this monster will actually come to life in earnest. The big Star Citizen story as of late is that the game has been changing its engine from CryEngine to Amazon’s Lumberyard, which seems uh, ambitious to say the least this far down the road, but this is what happens when you take this long to develop a game. The tech falls behind and you have to update, creating even more work and making things take even longer.
Photo: CIG
To me this all feels like a talented indie movie director who quietly tries to raise $1M for a passion project he wants to make. Instead, the concept is so good that it has Hollywood throwing a $150M blockbuster budget at him and suddenly, he has to throw out every plan he had and up the scope of his idea 100x over. That $1M movie he might have made in the first place could have been great and released in theaters already. But this $150M behemoth is a different sort of beast and is now stuck in development hell with six script variants and no release date. But the difference here is that there’s no Hollywood mogul breathing down his neck to finish, instead the funding comes from fans who are mostly content to sit back and say “take your time, make it good, we love you!” which isn’t exactly putting anyone’s feet to the fire.
My opinion has jokingly been that Star Citizen will either be the greatest video game ever made or a total disaster, but honestly I feel like it will land somewhere in the middle. The game has such a fervent following at this point that it’s most devoted fans will simply refuse to let it fail. No matter what the final product ends up being, they will play it religiously and claim it’s God’s gift to the genre. But will the finished product convert skeptics or those who haven’t followed this saga at all? I don’t know, that’s a much tougher sell.
This saga continues to be fascinating, promising and just a bit disturbing. Let’s wait and see if 2017 brings with it more than simply millions and in funding and new abridged alpha variants.
‘Star Citizen’ Lumbers Into 2017 With $141 Million In Crowdfunding
