Destiny 2 Has Already Reached 1.2 Million Concurrent Players
Destiny 2 released just a few days ago, and it's already receiving massive success. Bungie tweeted earlier today that its hotly anticipated shooter has already reached 1.2 million concurrent players on Xbox One and PlayStation 4.
Keep in mind that this doesn't count the total number of players, but instead the amount of players online at once. You can view Bungie's tweet below which thanks the fans and announces the news.
Thank you all so much for playing, Guardians! Right now Destiny 2 has over 1.2 Million concurrent players online. We'll see you in the wild.
— Bungie (@Bungie) September 9, 2017
Our Destiny 2 review is still in progress, but you can read our tips guide, watch the first two hours, as well as find out everything you need to know about its microtransactions.
Our Take
This is a huge milestone, but hardly a surprising one. Have you been playing Destiny 2? Let us know your thoughts and how it compares to its predecessor below.
Nintendo's paint-splattering shooter Splatoon 2 released in July, but tweaks and additions are still coming to the game. The most recent update (1.3.0) was a major one, where we see changes to Salmon Run and certain weapons.
Among some of these changes include a fix for a bug that caused enemies to take no damage from the Sting Ray in specific conditions. Additionally, bombs thrown by Steelhead enemies now don't land atop Scrappers or Flyfish.
As for weapons, the Inkjet weapon has a larger hit box now, which makes it easier to shoot down and the Sting Ray's firing rate has been increased by .5 seconds.
You can read the full patch notes below.
Changes to Salmon Run
Changes made to the Sting Ray and Splashdown specials for multiplayer also apply to their use in Salmon Run. Bombs thrown by the Steelhead will no longer land on top of Flyfish or Scrappers. Fixed an issue causing no damage to be dealt to Steel Eels hit with a Sting Ray if the Sting Ray’s shot inked any portion of the Steel Eel other than the pilot even slightly. Fixed an issue preventing damage from being dealt to a Griller hit with a Sting Ray attempting to hit its weak point by shooting through it. Sting Rays that only hit the main body of a Griller will now also deal some damage. Fixed an issue causing Steelheads that appeared in specific locations of the Lost Outpost stage not to attack. Fixed an issue where two players attempting to pick up a single Golden Egg just prior to the end of a wave caused one of them to be unable to pick up any Golden Eggs during the following wave. Fixed an issue where after playing Salmon Run online, players from your session who appeared in Inkopolis Square were always equipped with the Splattershot Jr. Fixed an issue where players who disconnected just prior to starting a round of play would appear to be holding a Rainmaker-like weapon. Fixed an issue causing the location of the arrow indicating the player’s character as well as their title to be incorrect on the result screen when other players disconnected just prior to the end of a round of play. Fixed an issue causing players using Roller-type weapons to get a communications error after holding the inking button for an extended period.Changes to Splatfest
Fixed an issue where during a Splatfest, all players you recently played with appeared in Inkopolis Square with a Splatfest Tee with no slots filled in, regardless of the actual status of their Splatfest Tee. Experience points required to fill in slots on Splatfest Tees have been changed in the following ways: Slot 1 – 4000 > 7500 Slot 2 – 8000 > 7500 Slot 3 – 12000 > 7500 Total – 24000 > 22500Changes to Multiplayer
In Ranked Battle, regarding the special gauge increasing automatically based on mode-specific conditions, until now the special gauge would fill up regardless of the points required for the main weapon being used. Now, main weapons with a lower special gauge point requirement will have their gauges filled faster, and those with a higher point requirement will have their gauges filled more slowly. Fixed an issue causing the area below where shots from a Sloshing Machine or Rainmaker hit a wall to not be inked. Fixed an issue where players with the Inkbrush or Octobrush equipped occasionally dealt continuous damage to opponents when coming into contact with them on uninkable surfaces. Fixed an issue causing Sponges touched by an Inkbrush or Octobrush to expand rapidly. Fixed an issue where players with a Roller or Brella-type weapon equipped would temporarily be unable to recover from damage after coming into direct contact with an opponent and being knocked back. Fixed an issue preventing players from damaging opponents via direct contact immediately after performing a vertical swing with a Roller-type weapon. Ink splats will no longer appear on players submerged in ink when hit by a Sting Ray fired by one of their allies. Fixed an issue causing shots from the Inkjet to occasionally disappear without exploding when hitting stage objects at certain angles. Fixed an issue where players with active Ink Armor hit by the Splat Brella would react as though protected by the armor, but also as if they had taken damage. Fixed an issue preventing ink from properly appearing on walls where the wall intersected with a grate. Fixed an issue when using Spectator Mode in Private Battle that caused Squid Beakons to not be destroyed after being used. Fixed an issue causing walls intersecting with grates to appear uninked when hit with the explosion from a Suction Bomb. Fixed an issue causing players to clip into stage objects on Sturgeon Shipyard. Specifications for some of the main weapons have been changed. Tri-Slosher・Changed maximum damage from 62.0 to 52.0.
・Decreased firing range by roughly 9%. Specifications for some of the special weapons have been changed. Sting Ray
・Firing the Sting Ray continuously for 1.5 seconds will cause a shock wave to appear around the ink blast, significantly increasing its damage radius.
・Extended firing duration by .5 seconds when the gear ability “Special Ability Up” isn’t being used. (Firing duration when using the maximum amount of “Special Ability Up” remains unchanged.) Splashdown
・Decreased amount of time the player remains at the peak height of their jump by 10/60 of a second.
・Increa the peak height of the Splashdown jump by roughly 31%.
・Increased the minimum damage caused by the Splashdown from 40.0 to 55.0.
・Decreased the points required to use the Splashdown special for certain main weapons it is paired with. Ink Storm
・Increased radius of affect by roughly 13%.
・Decreased points required to use the Ink Storm special for most main weapons it is paired with. Baller
・Made the Baller less likely to be knocked back when hit with enemy attacks.
・Increased durability of the Baller by .5 seconds when the gear ability “Special Ability Up” isn’t being used. (Durability when using the maximum amount of “Special Ability Up” remains unchanged. )
・Increased damage radius of explosion by roughly 17% and radius of ink coverage by roughly 7%.
・Increased minimum damage caused by explosion from 30.00 to 55.0.
・Increased power of explosion to knock back opponents. Inkjet
・Increased the size of the hit box of the player using the Inkjet, making them easier to shoot down.
・Decreased damage radius of Inkjet shots hitting the ground by roughly 17% and radius of ink coverage by roughly 20%.
・Decreased damage dealt to players standing directly beneath the Inkjet’s jets by roughly 75%. Ink Armor
・Shortened the period of invulnerability after the Ink Armor is destroyed by 8/60 of a second.
・When hit with more than 100.0 points of damage at once while Ink Armor is active, any damage exceeding 100.0 points is dealt to the player and now knocks them back significantly.
・The maximum amount of damage the Ink Armor can absorb at once is 80.0 points. Specifications for some of the sub weapons have been changed. Sprinkler
・Of the three levels of ink spray the Sprinkler gives off after placement, duration of the medium level of ink spray was extended by 5 seconds.
・Decreased ink consumption for placing a Sprinkler from 80% to 70% of ink tank capacity. Point Sensor
・Increased radius of effect by roughly 20%.
・Decreased delay until start of ink recovery after throwing out the Point Sensor by 15/60 of a second. Splash Wall
・Decreased time until deployment after throwing out the Splash Wall by 0.5 seconds. Squid Beakon
・Decreased ink consumption from 90% to 75% of ink tank capacity. Points required to fill the special gauge for some weapons have been changed. Sploosh-o-matic – 180 > 170 Splash-o-matic – 180 > 170 Aerospray RG – 180 > 170 N-ZAP ’85 – 200 > 190 Splattershot Pro – 180 > 170 .96 Gal – 210 > 200 Hero Blaster Replica – 180 > 170 L-3 Nozzlenose – 180 > 170 Carbon Roller -180 > 160 Hero Roller Replica – 180 > 170 Inkbrush – 170 > 160 E-liter 4K Scope – 190 > 170 Goo Tuber – 180 > 160 Hero Brella Replica – 170 > 160 Tentatek Splattershot – 210 > 230 Rapid Blaster – 180 > 210 Hero Charger Replica – 180 > 190
Other Changes
When talking to Murch, a player’s current money and Super Sea Snails will now be displayed in the upper right portion of the screen. Fixed an issue in Ranked Battle where teammates disconnecting while your Rank Meter was empty would mistakenly cause it to appear to be cracked. Fixed an issue causing certain gear, such as the Splatfest Tee to be ranked incorrectly when sorting gear by “Most used”. Fixed an issue where no damage was dealt when slowly rolling into the dummies when testing the Baller special.For more on Splatoon 2, read our review and watch our entire playthrough.
[Source: Nintendo]
YouTubers Trevor "TmarTN" Martin and Thomas "Syndicate" Cassell, who became embroiled in a Counter Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) gambling scam, will not be fined by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) despite misleading thousands of viewers.
Last year, these two YouTubers were publishing videos that endorsed gambling site CS:GO Lotto, and paid other YouTube personalities to do the same. What Martin and Cassell didn't disclose in these videos is that they own the gambling website. The controversy made headlines throughout the year, which led Martin to admitting the truth in a video, but failed to apologize for his wrongdoings. He deleted the video shortly after.
According to Rolling Stone, the two have reached an agreement with FTC, where they must report all of their activity to the commission, as well as disclose connections with endorsers. The commission ruled that the two don't have to pay any fines, or even admit guilt, unless they go against the agreement. The FTC explained that there is no penalty for Martin and Cassell because they are first offenders. Future infractions, however, could cost more than $40,000 per violation.
The FTC's Mitchell J. Katz told the Rolling Stone that, "The goal of the FTC isn't to be a punitive or draconian agency. We are here to educate consumers about new markets."
CS:GO Lotto allowed participants to bet on gun skins from the game, and took advantage of online gambling loopholes so that minors could join. Both Martin and Cassell's videos that endorsed the site showed them "winning" skins, but these segments were rigged. Other YouTube personalities were paid up to $55,000 to also deceive viewers.
The FTC may not be punishing the pair, but it has updated its guidelines to clearly state that media influencers must disclose their financial or other affiliations to sites they endorse. The commission also sent out warning letters to 21 media personalities. In a statement, chairman Maureen Ohlahusen said, "Consumers need to know when social media influencers are being paid or have any other material connection to the brands endorsed in their posts."
Last year, Vale had sent out multiple cease-and-desist letters to gambling sites following the CS:GO Lotto gambling scandal. Both Valve and CS:GO Lotto have faced lawsuits surrounding the issue, which you can read more about here.
[Source: Rolling Stone]
Our Take
Both Cassell and Martin are escaping punishment with barely a slap on the wrist, which I'm sure doesn't sit well for the victims of their deception or for those that spent money on the gambling site. The FTC has at least made it clear that if the pair are found guilty of misleading players again, the consequences are grave.
Update #2 (9/9/17 at 11:20 a.m.): According to PC GamesN, the Malaysian government has since lifted its ban on Steam. The digital platform is now back up and running in the region, though Fight of the Gods is still removed from the store.
Update: VentureBeat is reporting that Steam has removed Fight of the Gods from Steam in Malaysia:
"From reports we are reading, this is due to a single game that conflicts with local laws,” said Lombardi. “We have contacted the developer, removed the game, and are attempting to make contact with the officials in Malaysia to remove the block. We apologize for any inconvenience.”
Fight Of The Gods is a fighting game that pits religious figures deities, like Jesus Christ and Zeus, against one another. It's also reportedly a game that has resulted in a country banning Valve's digital distribution platform Steam.
PQube, publisher of Fight of the Gods, issued a statement about the matter:
Fight of Gods is a video game that takes a humorous approach to religion in the same way that other entertainment formats have – across television, film, books and theatre.
The game is not promoting any religious agenda and is not designed to offend. The description of the game on the digital platforms through which it is distributed provide clear guidance on the nature of the game and its content so that people can freely choose whether or not to play it. We fully respect the choice of those who would not wish to play it.
We are disappointed that such freedom of choice is not given to everyone and in particular that the game has been forcibly removed from sale in Malaysia, although no direct communication has been received by us as to the reasons for this. Nevertheless we respect any rules and censorship imposed in any given territory.
We have reached out to Steam and are working with them to resolve the situation as soon as possible.
It's worth noting that we have no way to verify that Malaysia has actually blocked Steam access and instead are reporting off the information provided by reputable outlets, so keep that in mind. Still, if this story is (and likely is) true, then that's one way to keep people from playing a game.
[Source: The Sun Daily]
Our Take
It's unfortunate enough to prevent people from playing a single game, but to disable an entire store for the sake of it is astonishing and disappointing.
This week we have two major multi-week tournaments kicking off, a big Dreamhack event, and several other tournaments scattered across the world.
Eleague is hosting its big Counter-Strike: Global Offensive major starting this week, in which teams will vye for an enromous $500,000 first-place prize until October 13. (Stream / Schedule)
The Rocket League Championship series begins this week, as top teams from the United States and Europe each begin to slug it out for their spots in the playoffs. (Stream / Schedule)
Dreamhack is in Montreal this weekend, bringing with it tournaments for several high-profile games. You can check out schedule here, and view the streams below.
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive StarCraft II Hearthstone Super Smash Bros. Melee Super Smash Bros. For Wii U Street Fighter VYou can also catch more Super Smash Bros. For Wii U at this year's 2GGC: West Side Saga, which will feature prominent player and Evo second-place finisher Zero. (Streams and Schedule)
For some more high-level fighting game action (including Guilty Gear Xrd Rev 2, Tekken 7, and Ultimate Marvel Vs. Capcom 3), you can check out Manila Cup, which will several major international players. (Stream 1/ Stream 2 / Schedule)
Week four of the Overwatch Contenders series continues to pit some of the game's best players worldwide against each other, with a total of $100,000 up for grabs. (Stream and Schedule)
That's it for this weekend! Let us know if we missed an event, or if there's a scene you'd like us to cover, in the comments below.
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