Capcom Says They Would Rather Have More Critically-Acclaimed Games Than High-Selling Ones
In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Capcom Europe COO Stuart Turner talked a little bit about Capcom's transforming policies over the last few years. While the assumption is that all publishers want is a game that sells well, Capcom is trying to challenge that notion, at least internally.
"And in some respects, getting some very good review scores counts as much for Capcom as a game that sells millions and millions and millions," Turner told the outlet. "We'd prefer a game that got a 9 and sold less, than got a 6 but sold more. While we have shareholders to appease, it's not just about commercial performance."
It's probably a win-win for Capcom, as games that review well also tend to sell really well. As evidenced by Capcom's emphasis on their Platinum listing, a list of games that have sold over a million since their release, the company tends to focus on the long term sales of games over the first day. Emphasizing quality likely helps them achieve more long term successes rather than fewer large successes.
[Source: GamesIndustry.biz]
Olly Moss, an extremely popular English artist and graphic designer, has announced that they will be joining Valve, though not a lot of other details were released.
So one thing that’s neat is that I am going to work at Valve.
— Olly Moss (@ollymoss) August 6, 2018Moss is well known for their style of graphic design, notable for pieces like the cover of Insomniac's Resistance 3 and the the silhouetted posters for the original Star Wars Trilogy. In 2010, Moss helped found Campo Santo and helped design not only Firewatch's graphic style, but all sorts of visual language specificity.
Moss announced in 2016 that he left Campo Santo "ages ago." Earlier this year, Campo Santo was acquired by Valve, but it's not clear if Moss is rejoining their old studio or working for Valve proper.
While it has long been suspected that Bethesda would be eschewing Valve's Steam platform for their upcoming Fallout game, the publisher has confirmed this fact with PC Gamer. Fallout 76 will be exclusive to Bethesda's own Bethesda.net launcher.
"The PC version of Fallout 76, for both the B.E.T.A. and the launch, will be available only via Bethesda.net, not on Steam," Bethesda told PC Gamer.
While publishers are increasingly seeing the value in having their own launchers and not giving up 30 percent to Steam, few make the leap without having additional hooks beyond just their own games. Those that do tend to also launch on Steam, as well. Recent games like Quake Champions launched first on Bethesda.net, but eventually went to Steam, but Bethesda has not indicated that would be the case here.
Regardless of the details, Bethesda wants PC players to play Fallout 76 on their service. Should other publishers follow suit, the convenience of Steam as an all-in-one library gets called into question.
[Source: PC Gamer]
Microsoft has announced today that they will be joining the Disney-lead Movies Anywhere service, a service that aggregates digital movies you've accumulated into one larger library. The service already includes iTunes, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Vudu, FandangoNow, and now has added Xbox Video to its collection.
What this means is that movies you get on the Xbox Live service or Microsoft store can now be stored in this library and viewable on other non-Xbox and non-Windows devices. It also works in reverse, where you can watch those movies you buy elsewhere on the Xbox One.
The service is now officially live after bit of a false start this morning. Unfortunately, Movies Anywhere is only for U.S. customers right now.
[Source: The Verge]
In 2013, Valve launched Early Access on Steam. While other titles had experimented with paid access to a work in progress, such as Minecraft in 2009, Steam’s program brought the concept to the mainstream. Avenues such as Indiegogo or Kickstarter allowed for crowdfunded titles, but there was no regulation as these options weren’t required to provide backers with playable versions of the games they supported. Steam’s budding program allowed developers to self-publish games but required a playable product and allowed users to refund their purchases further down the line. Since then, Early Access has exploded and titles like The Long Dark, Don’t Starve, and PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds have gained massive popularity that they may not have achieved without this new method of development and delivery.
Early Access seemed like a dream come true for developers, but there are many difficulties associated with development using the program. According to GamesIndustry.Biz, only twenty-five percent of Early Access titles make it to a full release. Why is it so difficult to launch a game out of Early Access? I picked the brains of Crytek, Motion Twin, System Era, and Red Hook Studios about their experience with Early Access to help get a better picture of why the program is a worthy gamble for developers, despite the number of games that didn’t complete their development and why developers and players are more likely than ever to jump into it.
Leap Of FaithFeedback can lead to better iteration and fixes on a budding game. In the case of Dead Cells, entire systems have been reworked based on community engagement. The skill system was originally a simple, three stat system like Skyrim, revolving around health, stamina and magic, and Sébastien Bénard, the games lead designer, had no plans to modify this system throughout development until a conversation on the Steam forums changed his mind. “It was a debate between players,” Bénard said. “They were talking about this build system and how it was actually kind of boring and not very profound. …They were right on the very core problem of this system.” Bénard later went to the team with the idea to shut himself in for about four weeks and rework his entire skill system. “Decisions like this are scary for teams, but they are why Early Access can be such a boon in the first place,” he says. “Having the ability to get player feedback that is thoughtful alongside having direct communication is why the system is so appealing. Players can feel like they have a real impact on development If teams are willing to take suggestions and implement them.”
Building games as a group is the most appealing aspect of Early Access for many fans as well. “Being part of the development process … it really gives that sense of community,” said Angela De Castro, product manager for Hunt: Showdown. “It feels like you are working together with the team to accomplish something … that you can make some sort of influence on the final product.”
One of the main reasons studios enjoy the Early Access development model is the benefit of playtesting and creating alongside their communities. Chris Auty, the design director on Crytek’s Hunt: Showdown, a PvE based free for all where five teams of two duke it out as they hunt monsters for bounties, said this is the primary reason it entered the Early Access program. “What attracted us to Early Access in the beginning was that we knew that this game would be developed closely with the community. We wanted to make sure that we could iterate quickly on it … with the community alongside us.” This is especially helpful for games that require a lot of balancing and tweaking, such as multiplayer titles and systems-based roguelikes. An example would be community feedback changing the speed at which Crytek delivered content, moving them into a model of adding content from as close to every two weeks, to larger updates within four.
Dead Cells developer Motion Twin felt its game was a tough sell on paper; a roguelike infused with Dark Souls sensibilities and a progression system that requires players to fail. Getting it into players’ hands and allowing them to see why the game clicks was important. Producer Steve Filby said Early Access “is a good way for us to sort of put something out there that is maybe not one hundred percent. Instead of taking three years and build a game and fail, you can only take a year and then fail.”
For many small development teams, another major draw of early access is the financial safety net it provides. Many teams dip into their savings to make the games they love, and Early Access is a huge leap of faith. With System Era’s Astroneer, a wistful space exploration co-op base-building game, the situation started out dire. “The earliest version of Astroneer was built alongside our day jobs,” said sound designer Riley Gravatt. “Later, we were able to work for about a year on Astroneer full-time with our savings, but we knew we needed additional finances.”
Red Hook Studios had an incredibly successful Kickstarter with Darkest Dungeon, a Lovecraftian turn-based roguelike featuring permadeath. The studio raised $313,337 with only a $75,000 goal before going into Early Access, but most of that money went directly into development and the team still had to survive. “Early Access is a friendly cash-flow model to a struggling developer,” said Tyler Sigman, studio co-president and design director for Darkest Dungeon. “Being able to make sales while the game is still in development directly funds that continued development and can allow you to invest more in making a better game, while still keeping food on your table at home.”
For many developers today, Early Access is not the question mark it was in 2013. Given the long string of success stories like Darkest Dungeons and Dead Cells, players are more willing to jump into these titles. Titles built alongside a community can be appealing because they allow players to feel like they helped the development and have a sense of ownership over the final product. “Early Access has been around long enough now that it’s no longer a foreign idea,” Gravatt said. “Most players understand what it means, they know what they are getting into and the risks of investing in an Early Access game.”
Sigman echoes this sentiment: “I think we are safely out of the ‘Is Early Access dead?’ phase, where there was great debate about whether [Early Access] should be a thing. There have been enough great games that have come out of [Early Access] that I think consumers understand that [Early Access] can be great. There are, of course, failures, but that's true of game development as a whole, too.”
Players may be more willing to support Early Access titles, but they also are more scrutinizing of the program. Sébastien Bénard knows players are still hesitant and that developers have to be conscious of that. “I think it is quite a mixed feeling for the player … because, most of the time, players just don't want to go into Early Access and have a fear that they may have a bad experience,” he said. “They’ll say, ‘I think it is a cool game, but it is still in Early Access.’ Most players will wait until it is released and not before.”
Early Access is designed for small developers to make games they couldn’t otherwise, but these teams take a big chance on the service. The risks are the same any AAA developer faces, but Early Access also poses a few unique challenges. Developers have to fund and produce their own titles, work indefinitely depending on how long the game remains in development, and ultimately serve as the arbiters of their own success or failure. Daily moderation of their forums, weekly patches or developer blogs, all are important to making sure players know what is happening with the studio and the game, essentially forcing studios to serve as their own public relations, marketing, and community management teams as well. There are no publishers or safety nets; the program provides a way to fund and distribute a game, but it is up to developers to market and push the game to players.
Clearly laying out a roadmap for development, consistently telling players where progress is, and being clear with delays and issues that arise is an important element to keeping communities happy. “Most fans understand (the challenges developers face), ... but they definitely appreciate timely updates and expectation setting through communication,” Sigman said. “Going completely dark during Early Access is a big mistake. If you're behind, just say it, and people will know you haven't abandoned the game.”
In Early Access, there is a fine line to walk between creating the game you want and communicating with your fans, learning along the way can cause struggles with the community and the developer. For many, a focus on community contact is incredibly important. “You really need someone dedicated to it,” Gravatt said. “That’s where that full-time position comes in to play. They really need to distill down all the feedback and concerns of our players and bring it to the development team.”
The development roadmap is one of the most clear-cut ways teams can communicate to players what to expect from their Early Access title. Updating the roadmap and making sure it is reasonable is important for developers. Despite only recently coming out of Early Access, Unknown Worlds Entertainment’s well thought-out development and success with Subnautica has inspired many. “We were introduced to the concept of the ‘developer timeline’ by Subnautica,” Gravatt said. “They pretty much set the standard for what works for an Early Access title.” Sigman shares the sentiment. “They made consistent updates and just kept making the game better and better and bigger and bigger. As a fan, that should be a good thing! Keep making this awesome game better!”
For these studios, updating the roadmap and having flexibility is key to progressing. At Motion Twin, Dead Cells ended up being more a community project than the team originally expected. “We thought we should have a precise roadmap and we should take lead on making the game the way we want,” Bénard said. “Quickly, it was obvious we could adjust and modify the game in a profound way based on player feedback, still following the roadmap.”
Early Access has its benefits, but the style of development has created a whole new set of challenges, even for veteran developers. At Crytek, a studio known for big budget AAA games like Crysis, Ryse, and the original Far Cry, the move to Early Access was not challenging in the ways they expected. Issues arose, however, when it came to workload. “The hardest part for us has been that you don't really stop,” Auty said. “In AAA development, you work quite hard towards the end to get it done, and then it’s over. And you start figuring out the next thing that you're going to work on. … With Early Access, that is a lot more sustained over a longer time. So that is a big difference from our perspective. We have to be very careful to pace ourselves.”
In Early Access, even single-player games require live team fixes. Games have their current builds that need to be maintained, but also new builds that are being built for later in the roadmap. Running two builds is an issue that has cropped up for System Era and many other developers in Early Access. “Normally, in game development things can break internally, you can develop alongside lots of bugs, or systems can be built from the ground up without worrying about supporting existing users,” Gravatt said. “That’s certainly not the case with Early Access. You kind of have to build two games simultaneously.”
One problem developers face is making sure their game is successful in its first iteration, while simultaneously making sure 1.0 improves enough product from the last build to ensure new players will want to jump in. Console ports and post-game add-ons can help stymie the possible dip in sales. With Darkest Dungeon, the dip in sales for the 1.0 release was surprising. “The first 24 hours of Early Access, we sold three times what we sold in the first 24 hours of 1.0,” Sigman said. “Early Access was incredibly successful for us, so we're just grateful to have a good launch whenever it comes.”
Each of the studios we spoke with were realistic about the possibility that 1.0 won’t see the same success as the Early Access release. Filby is aware of the challenges Dead Cells must overcome. “Everyone tells you, you don't get two launches, but I am going to try and buck that trend,” he said. “If we don't do 50 percent of what we did at [Early Access], that's fine. … The main thing that we do differently to some developers is that 1.0 is not really the end of the game. We have already talked about another sort of DLC or major update that we will put out for free post-release.”
Early Access titles take a long time to develop, and many are in the earliest stages of infancy when they launch on the platform. It is up to the consumer whether they are going to make an informed purchase with an Early Access title. Sigman said players should not be preoccupied with when a game leaves Early Access. “The best way to protect yourself as a consumer is just make sure that, at the moment you buy the game, you feel that it's worth the money. I'm not saying don't ever take a chance – just be aware with what you are doing. Games are very hard to make, and even harder to predict how long they will take. This is doubly true in a scenario like early access where one of the main points is to collect feedback and act on it. You don't really know what you have until you let people play it. Darkest Dungeon was in Early Access for just less than one full year, which I think is pretty fast comparatively. But I chuckled/barfed a little when I saw a few reviews talking about how DD ‘finally’ exited a long Early Access.”
Still, the reality of the situation is not lost on any of these developers. Their games have molded into something the community has built with them and they realize these games are becoming something much more than what they originally envisioned, especially for Gravatt. “Astroneer is a System Era game as much as it is a game ‘owned’ by the community who plays it,” he said. “We share authorship of the game between us and our players.”
Early Access has its roots based in delivery systems that have been around for years, betas and closed alphas are ways that players have affected change on major titles through feedback. These systems were primarily reserved for multiplayer games, and only offered what amounted to a demo of the final game, unlike Early Access. With the advent of Steam’s program, major publishers have taken notice, with Microsoft adding a game preview feature that has many popular Early Access games that are exclusive to it’s console, such as Battlegrounds and Astroneer. Despite this, many AAA developers have yet to take the plunge, with games like Battlefield V and Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 still using typical testing models, such as closed alphas or the always derided pre-order beta. Hopefully more big-budget studios will see the viability of Early Access, as many could greatly benefit from it as many are moving to games-as-service models that require longevity and online content delivery that is impossible to test without continued public feedback.
Early Access is a powerful tool. One both players and developers need to research before jumping in. Risk-taking is healthy for the industry, and many games that wouldn’t normally get made have been developed by inspired teams thanks to Early Access. None of the titles mentioned would exist today without the program, and while there is no perfect formula, there are enough successes to show it is a great way for budding developers to create the games of their dreams. The simplest advice for developers and players comes from Dead Cells’ Filby “Just don’t be an asshole [laughs]!” If developers continue to communicate and learn from peers, and players remain empathetic and patient, Early Access could continue to provide many more great titles in the future.
For More On Early Access, check out some of the gems of this summer, and our reviews of Dead Cells and Darkest Dungeon.
A few weeks ago, Arc System Works announced that they would be publishing a 3D fighting game based on the Trigger anime Kill La Kill. During ArcSys' Evo stream this past weekend, we got to see the game in action for the first time.
The footage shows protagonist Ryuko and her rival Satsuki fighting in a 3D space, and ends with Ryuko using her super by extending the blades of her scissors and slashing her opponent. The game is developed by A+ Games, who made the recent Little Witch Academia title, as well.
Kill La Kill: IF features a Dramatic Conversation system called Ketsui Hyoumei Enzetsu that grants buffs and debuffs by choosing dialogue options during clashes. The idea is similar in theory to Injustice 2's clash system, but is more rock-paper-scissors, where Provoke beats Abuse, Abuse beats Mock, and Mock beats Provoke.
The game is written by Kazuki Nakashima, the anime's screenwriter, and is a retelling of the show from Satsuki Kirin's perspective. Kill La Kill: IF is scheduled to release in 2019 on PlayStation 4 and PC, though a western release has yet to be confirmed. Considering they showed this in an English stream, however, and openly talked about including an English dub, it seems likely.
Bethesda has update the FAQ for Fallout 76's upcoming acronym-heavy B.E.T.A., which stands for Break it Early Test Application, which is really playing fast and loose with acronym rules.
The FAQ updated with the question "Is the B.E.T.A. going to be the full game and will my progress carry over to launch?"
The answer being "Our current plan for the B.E.T.A. is it will be the full game and all your progress is saved for launch. We hope you join us!"
That means you will be downloading the entire game for the beta, but you'll also get access to the entire game with it. Any progress you make in the beta will carry over, so when the full game comes out, you can just pick up from where you left off. Bethesda hasn't specified the dates for the beta besides just coming this Fall, but the Xbox One will get it first.
Fallout 76 releases on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on November 14.
Doom’s 2016 reboot could have been an utter failure. After a mixed reaction to Doom 3, id Software went back to the drawing board and stayed there for a long time. Struggling to find a place for the classic shooter in the modern gaming climate, the studio initially started work on the colloquially-titled “Call of Doom.” Taking a page from the gritty, realistic military titles of the day, this version would have seen fighting across grey cityscapes and lots of ducking behind waist-high walls.
Call of Doom never saw the light of day. Instead, we got a loving throwback to the series’ roots: no reloading, no cover, no fluff. The Doom reboot ignored many of the conventions that define this decade of first-person shooters while adding just a few key elements of its core formula. In doing so, id created an experience that felt both new and excitingly primitive. We said it was an “unrelenting, kinetic, and obscenely bloody return to form.”
This E3, Bethesda and id announced Doom Eternal, a sequel to the 2016 reboot. The teaser showed off a massive city enveloped by hellish energy, with fleshy vines wrapping around skyscrapers and every manner of demon rising to meet the iconic Doom Guy.
At QuakeCon, id will give us a deeper look at the first gameplay footage from Doom Eternal, but we can’t wait that long to start talking about the game. Instead, here’s our hopes for how this infernal follow-up can improve on the originals.
Fans were initially apprehensive about the introduction of “glory kills,” scripted melee takedowns, into the legendarily fast gameplay of Doom. In addition to the normal shooting and chainsawing, any enemy could be weakened enough that they player would be prompted to approach and rip them apart by hand. Although the brutality was appropriate, early demos looked sluggish. But upon release, glory kills were fluid, responsive, and an invaluable addition to the player’s toolkit.
The kills are wonderfully over the top, and the game even factored in direction and perspective into the animations; approaching from different angles provide a variety of ways to end that demon’s life. But glory kills also serve an important gameplay purpose, rewarding far more health and ammo than other methods of dealing death. This encourages near-death players to make even riskier decisions, running right into the fray to regain HP instead of hiding around a corner.
Although glory kills are endlessly satisfying, there’s still room for improvement. In games like Far Cry or Shadow of Mordor, melee kills can be chained to nearby enemies in a graceful dance. Doom should implement a similar ability – if we stun a whole group of imps, we want to be able to smash through every member of that group like a wrecking ball. Similarly, different types of enemies could be used against each other, like throwing a Pinky demon at a horde of baddies or stuffing a possessed soldier into the mouth of a mancubus. Doom Eternal could take a page from God of War and let us use grunts as a battering ram and/or a fleshy meat shield. The possibilities are disgusting and endless, and we want all of them.
Doom isn’t subtle about the temperament of its protagonist. In the beginning of the 2016 reboot, you’re greeted by a robot voice.
“Welcome. I’m Samuel Hayden,” he says through a monitor. “I think we can work together and resolve this problem in a way that benefits us bot-”
And then you throw the computer screen into a wall. The story of Doom is that you don’t care about anyone else and everything on Mars should be terrified of you. Then, you kill everything on Mars. And it rules. Id also hid documents, audio logs, and other files in the game if you have a desire to learn more about the world, but they never get in the way of the carnage.
Doom Eternal doesn’t need a lot of setup, nor does it need extensive dialogue. Over more than 20 years, we’ve learned that the Doom Guy is a singularly violent force of nature who exists almost exclusively to kill demons and smash anything else that stands in its way. This is as pure a story as exists in games, and it doesn’t need reworking.
Here’s our pitch for Doom Eternal: Doom Guy comes home to earth, only to find out that demonic hell energy has taken over most of the planet. With a well-timed pump of his shotgun, we can tell that he’s determined to take it back. That’s it.
To go along with Doom Eternal’s perfectly written story (you’re welcome, everyone), id needs to keep its gameplay consistent. We don’t want moments where control is wrestled away from us, or long stretches where we must stumble forward slowly. God of War this is not. For as much of the game as possible, we want to be running forward at what feels like 50 miles per hour, swapping between all our weapons, and tackling scenarios in the way of our choosing.
However, we don’t want too much choice. Doom Eternal’s landscape looks vast, but we’d hate to see it become an open-world title. Part of the thrill of Doom is impeccably designed “kill rooms;” you enter a room and leave when everything is dead. Although a bit artificial, these rooms allow for tight level layouts and enemy patterns, promising an interesting fight every time. We have Rage 2, Mad Max, and plenty of other games where you can drive around a giant wasteland. We want Doom to be a tight rollercoaster ride that we want to experience again and again.
Although arcade mode wasn’t included at launch, it quickly became one of our most-played aspect of the reboots. The mode adds an ingenious scoring system that rewards quick chains of kills, creative weapon swaps, and thorough knowledge of the levels. It also removes all of the non-combat portions of levels, stripping Doom down to its essential parts.
Doom Eternal should go wild with this concept. We want to be able to play levels of the campaign as a score-attack challenge, and we’d love for id to experiment with different rulesets for specific scenarios. Maybe one level only includes a chainsaw and a rocket launcher, or requires constant glory kills to make up for slowly draining health. This is the place to play around with fun gimmicks and require further mastery of various mechanics.
A separate mode a la Resident Evil’s The Mercenaries would be even better. Discrete arenas with timing challenges, resource management, and infinitely spawning foes could taunt players with high scores and medals just a little bit higher than their current scores. Any place where you could kill infinite demons would fit right in with Doom’s sensibilities.
Doom is not Quake, so Doom shouldn’t have a similar approach to competitive multiplayer. Seeing a bunch of similarly-suited space marines bouncing around and firing rockets at each other for XP isn’t a power fantasy, it’s a goofy emulation of more successful series. The 2016 reboot’s multiplayer was designed by a completely different studio, and it was utterly forgettable.
But that doesn’t mean Doom Eternal should be limited to its solitary experience. Instead, new co-op modes could allow the game to throw even more insurmountable odds against you and a friend. This would work best in the previously-mentioned arcade arenas. Performing combos and glory kills in coordination with your friends would offer even greater flexibility in combat strategies. Maybe one player could handle the cacodemons flying in from above, while the other could mop up all the imps and soldiers on the ground. Even better, two players shooting their BFGs into each other could trigger a chain reaction of unimaginable devastation. Plus, how cool would it be to look behind you and see your buddy tearing apart a cyberdemon? The answer is incredibly cool
1993’s Doom has experienced 25 years of the best mod support a game could ask for. From a western shooter to Ghostbusters simulations to a full 3D Sonic title, Doom was the school where many modders taught themselves. Unfortunately, the more recent titles haven’t kept up that legacy. 2016’s reboot shipped with “Snapmap,” a level creator intended to encourage user content, but the tools given to players weren’t powerful enough to create anything as exciting as the original game.
Full mod support for Doom Eternal would ensure a constant supply of new weapons, bizarre enemies, and cool twists on the formula. Imagine having access to every model of BFG from every version of Doom, or adding all the 1993 sound effects back into the mix. Demons could spout rainbow blood from their wounds while Doom Guy flies around on a jetpack. The possibilities are endless.
Although video game sequels are sometimes criticized for being too similar to the original, there still isn’t much on the market like 2016’s Doom. Even if Doom Eternal repeated the reboot’s speed, brutality, and combat flexibility, it’d still stand apart from most shooters on the market. With these tweaks to the formula though, Doom Eternal could be a landmark demon-slayer for years to come.
Just, for the love of all that’s unholy, don’t change the soundtrack.
Madden 19 introduces new wrinkles to franchise mode with its scheme fits feature (click here for the review), but we’re here to help you build a dynasty with our guide covering that and much more.
Note: These tips are applicable to both online and offline franchises, although some elements like trading or using custom draft classes will be influenced if not heavily restricted by an online commissioner.
First Steps
You can use your favorite team’s real-life coach, who comes with their own traits. Or if you want a specific boost, like the Expert Scout Package for more scouting points, you can do so by using a custom coach instead.
Also dive into the league settings menu. Here you can set everything from the difficulty level to aspects you may want automated like injury management. If you want to goose the process in your franchise’s favor you can also turn off the salary cap, injuries, and the trade deadline; jack up the XP percentage sliders; and more. For the purposes of controlling your franchise the way I’m about to describe, you’re going to want to keep pretty much everything under the User Team Help section on manual.
Find Your Scheme
Madden 19’s new scheme fits system is a way to get players extra XP based on set archetypes. Because this is about XP, I like to use the system to bolster those position groups that need help. Therefore, don’t choose a scheme (one each for offense and defense) based on the percentage scheme fit shown on the screen, but on which positions you want to help. This can be changed from week to week, so if you’re looking to get extra XP for both your quarterback and your offensive line, for example, you may have to switch your scheme to benefit both.
Pick a scheme that contains the position player type you want to develop and play with. So if you want to push the ball down field and need to improve your QB’s deep ball throwing, pick a scheme like Vertical Zone Run that has the Strong Arm player type. That way when it comes time to spend a skill point (earned by that extra XP you’ll be getting) to raise the OVR rating of your QB, you can spend it on the Strong Arm category, which accordingly gives you a better randomization chance of bumping attributes related to deep throwing.
Some of the player types assigned to the schemes are straightforward; a possession receiver or a man coverage cornerback, for instance. However, there are some player types, like power for offensive linemen, that can be useful because they award attribute points in multiple useful areas.
Each player archetype has three primary attributes it boosts. However, important secondary attributes are also often improved. Here are some archetypes to consider when applying a skill point.
Note: These are based on my simulations, but because of the game’s weighted randomization, results may vary.
QB - Field General: This archetype primary attributes not only includes short, medium, and deep accuracy, but the throwing power attribute was consistently increased.WR - Deep Threat: It not only helps you deep, but also in the catching and catch in traffic departments.
OL - Power: Hits both the run and pass blocking departments.
MLB - Field General: All the middle linebacker archetypes give points to tackle and awareness, but Field General also covers both man and zone coverage attributes.
CB - Unfortunately, no defensive scheme utilizes the Slot cornerback, which is too bad because it adds to both zone and man coverage. I find this useful because I run both from play to play.
Safeties - Hybrid: As the name implies, it confers a useful mix of bonuses.
Weekly Training
Now that you’ve identified which areas you want to fortify, go into your weekly training. Pick offensive and defensive gameplans that correspond to the positions you’re focusing on with your schemes. So if you’re trying to bolster your wide receivers and tight ends, you can choose the Attacking Cover 6 drill, for instance. Unfortunately, not all combinations of positions are covered by the drills (there are none that cover QBs and the offensive line together for some reason), so you may have to make some choices.
Once you pick these go through the drills and get gold medals. Then, each week, you’re going to come back here and choose these same drills – no matter your opponent or their gameplan – so you can keep earning extra XP for the same positions in order to maximize your gains. Simply choose the drills you have gold medals in, select “start training,” and then toggle the drills from “play” to “sim” and hit “start training” again. Then you’ll see your results.
In weekly training you can also select three focus players who get extra XP. You can make sure these are at positions you’re targeting with the gameplan drills and schemes, or choose players with already accelerated development traits (Superstar, Star, and Quick) for an extra bonus. Click into the focus players and you can see their development traits as well as how much XP they already have.
Note that some players start out with negative XP, which is a tip off that regression (more on that later) is already occurring or will soon. If those players with negative XP are important to you and your plans, maybe making them a focus player and/or tailoring your scheme to them could help them dig themselves out of the hole they start in.
Trade Deals
Madden 19’s trading system is the same as previous years, which means if you're in an single-player franchise, you can exploit the A.I. Like other tips in this guide, how much you avail yourself of these kinds of tools is strictly up to you. No judgement.
Here are a few ways to approach trading with the CPU:
Sign players off the free agent list and then flip them to teams via manual trades for easy draft picks. Make sure these are players under 28 and with a decent OVR so they still have some value. The trade center shuts down after week eight, so trade early.Take note of teams’ needs, because you can get some good deals if you cater to them. Positions also factor in, as high-rated QBs, for instance, are clearly valuable. To gauge teams’ interest, pay attention to the color coding on your player as you scroll through teams in the manual trade screen. Green is gold.
Players’ value as they approach their late 20s often drops, so it’s good to formulate a plan early so you don’t lose the opportunity to shift a player while they're still worth something.
Play with the manual trade menu and the team interest levels to maximize your value. If a team wants more value from your team in the trade, start by offering an additional low-round pick and move up from there until you hit as much as you want to offer. There isn’t really a secret here as the CPU is transparent about what it does and does not want. It’s up to you to probe it enough to find its boundaries.
Scouting
Scouting begins shortly after the regular season starts and is the key to making smart choices during the draft, because just picking the highest-rated player left on the board or going by combine scores is foolish.
This year you can create your own custom draft class or import one from other users. Creating your own is as simple as clicking L3 to edit players. Not only can you change prospects’ names, but also all their attributes. You can put them anywhere on the draft board, so if you want to stash a 99 OVR player in the sixth round, the A.I. will only consider them a sixth round talent, regardless.The three letter grades you can unlock through spending scouting points refer to that player’s best attributes in descending order, so if I spend 15 points to unlock the first grade and it’s only a B-, I don’t bother scouting anymore, because it isn’t going to get better for this player. Of course, check back after the Super Bowl when the combine info is posted. Players with high placement in their combine stats – even with B- grades – could be stars.
Once your coach has enough XP to buy an upgrade, I highly suggest Expert Scouting, which gives you more scouting points. Increased Player Weekly Goal XP is also very helpful.
If you’ve imported another person’s custom draft class, the Expert Scouting upgrade is very important, enabling you to scout into the low rounds in case that draft class contains hidden gems.
Be sure and check the NFL Draft news screen – at the “Things to Do” screen press triangle on PS4 and Y on Xbox One to go to the Gallery, and then triangle/Y again to get to League News. From here press the right trigger and toggle down to Draft Stories. This menu contains extra information – from injuries and character questions to those who are coming on strong as the draft nears.
Negotiations
I like to start my contract negotiations with my own players as soon as I can. That way I can plan my free agent and draft needs early in case negotiations fall through unexpectedly. Besides, If you leave negotiating until the end of the regular season, you'll have less time to adjust to protracted negotiations, and there's more chance they'll choose to go to free agency.
In order to make sure that doesn't happen, I like to identify the players I must resign and give them what they ask for so there's no trouble. That is, unless someone has unreasonable demands. Some players don't negotiate many times before they shut things down totally, so it's best not to quibble over a reasonable contract (often times it only takes an extra couple of thousand to sway a player). If they say that they like the number of years but not the bonus, that's an obvious hint of what your next move is.
If you have a player who has a skill point to spend before your negotiations start, don't spend the point on them until you sign them. If you do, you'll raise their OVR, and therefore their asking price could go up as well.
Free Agency
Players who are a scheme fit are slightly more likely to sign, so take a look at the player archetype of the players you want, and back out of the free agency menu and switch your scheme. I did this and saw my offer gain three points.
Bids for free agents revolve around who has the most points, so any bit counts. Feel free to make an offer, see how many points it's worth – and how it stacks up against the other competing bids – and then withdraw and restructure the offer so it's competitive.
The Draft
Because EA Tiburon removed the draft menu option to make a trade for a team that's on the clock, to make trades during the draft you'll have to go to the manual trade menu. It sounds like cheating, but pause the draft for this since teams on the clock tend to pick somewhat fast.
I like to stick to my big board, and if there's a guy I really like I will not hesitate to take him a round early if there's nobody else I like for that round. If you have the 15th pick in the fourth round and are waiting for that guy projected to go in the fourth to fall, another team could very well snipe him before your pick, so if you have some late-round picks laying around, it's not a bad idea to try and jump up a few spots just so you're sure you get your man.
Sometimes if there's a player who's in a freefall, I will pick him up for fun a couple rounds later just to see if he's a steal. First check any scouting you've done on him – especially his combine scores. If he's not in the top 10 in some of the scores for his position, he's probably just a bust.
Regression
Regression – including possible regression of players' Development trait – hits at the beginning of the offseason, usually as players turn 29. Regression players earn less XP in weekly training, but their rate of loss can stabilize. Switching schemes, making them a Focus player, and purchasing a coach Player Progression XP boost can also help stop the bleeding, but there's just no avoiding getting old.
Breaking Down The Biggest Changes Coming To NBA 2K19’s Franchise Modes
NBA 2K18 Boasts 10 Million Copies Sold
Ultimate Team & Kick Off Changes Try To Make FIFA 19 More Inviting
Alex Hunter Signs With Real Madrid For FIFA 19's The Journey Story Mode
Changes Detailed After NHL 19 Beta
Football Manager 2019 Out On November 2
Madden Edits Out Colin Kaepernick Lyric, Puts It Back In
Madden Championship Esports series Coming On August 7 With 60 Percent Increase In Tournaments
Pro Evolution Soccer Licenses The Chilean National Team & Campeonato Scotiabank
Dead Cells is out tomorrow, and as it turns out, it's pretty darned good. Reiner calls it one of the best roguelikes around, and Javy is similarly enthralled by Motion Twin's game. The duo decided to show it off to Leo and me, and you can see how well they convinced us about the game's merits in today's NGT.
Javy is on the sticks, and he does an admirable job collecting new weapons and navigating the ever-changing labyrinth while Reiner provides insightful commentary. Leo and I are mostly here out of habit, if we're being honest.
Dead Cells is available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC on August 7.
The developer behind Pokémon Go announced the game in September 2015 with a host of features for the game that it didn't launch with. One of them, trading, only came to the game recently. Another one was PVP, for which Niantic has confirmed they're targeting before the end of 2018.
In an interview with Polish publication Gram, Niantic head of marketing for Europe, Middle East, and Africa Anne Beuttenmüller confirmed that PVP is something the developer is working on. Though translation software, Beuttenmüller said that PVP is the next thing they want to add and hope to get it out by the end of 2018.
It's not clear yet what PVP will look like, as the initial reveal trailer showed group battles as something more turn-based than what the actual game's battling ended up being. It could end up just being a race to see who can tap faster, but Niantic hasn't tipped their hand on what it might be yet.
In the meantime, Niantic is focusing on the recently added trading and associated social features by letting you do things like categorize people in your friends lists or add notes on to individual friends. You'll never have to struggle to remember who someone is or why you added them again.
Beating a Legend of Zelda title is often treated as a rite of passage. Whether that game is Ocarina of Time, A Link to the Past, or Twilight Princess (my shamefully late introduction to Hyrule), Link's adventures are some of the most iconic stories in all of gaming.
By that metric, player "MC" might have more gamer credibility than anyone else on the planet. Over the course of a year and 484 hours, they completed every single canon, singleplayer Legend of Zelda title ever released. That means every heart piece, every hidden bug, and all 900 Korok seeds.
MC did an AMA on Reddit yesterday that included interesting tidbits such as:
After Breath of the Wild, Tri Force Heroes took the longest. Total completion time for that single game was 44 hours Their favorite Zelda moment is Ganondorf's speech at the end of Wind Waker Getting all the rings in the Oracle games is a slogMC is also one of the organizers of Zeldathon, a marathon streaming event that raises money for charity. The organization just met a Kickstarter goal for a documentary chronicling its efforts.
Deadline is reporting that Supergirl will be the next DC property to get a movie in Warner Bros.' latest attempt at massaging their superhero movies to be lighter and less dour.
The movie is reportedly being penned by Oren Uziel, who was behind screenplays for the recent reboot of 21 Jump Street and the now-filming Sonic the Hedgehog.
Supergirl, also known as Kara, was a Kryptonian that fled the planet as a teenager before its destruction, but remained in stasis until arriving on Earth. Her origin and personality have been finessed in different adaptations and by different writers and she played a pivotal role in Netherrealm Studio's recent Injustice 2.
There is also a Supergirl show heading into season four as part of DC's television universe, where the character is played by Melissa Benoist.
Last month, Warner Bros. indicated a new heading for DC movies with more comedic trailers for movies like Shazam and Aquaman.
This past weekend, Nintendo updated their Japanese Zelda website, which contains an official timeline of the series so far. This update was the first placing of Breath of the Wild, the open-world Zelda game on the Wii U and Switch, on the official timeline.
While the last mainline console game in the series, Skyward Sword, is still at the very earliest point in the timeline, Breath of the Wild contrasts that by getting placed at the very end of the timeline. Maddeningly for some fans, the website does not indicate whether Breath of the Wild takes place after the Victory/Failure split of Ocarina of Time. It in fact completely dismisses the question entirely as not mattering.
When the director of the game Hidemaro Fujibayashi was asked in which timeline the game took place last year, he demurred and left it up to the interpretation of the player. So it seems Nintendo isn't concerned with the answer or doesn't think the player should be.
Another small change is that Link's Awakening has been moved to before the Oracle games, and directly after A Link to the Past, rather than after Oracle of Ages and Seasons. This change tends to make a bit more sense to connect A Link to the Past and Link's Awakening. That answer is definitely up to the player in the end.
Alternatively, the fact that this changes around and is so malleable might also mean that none of it has any real information and none of it is ever actually planned beyond obvious connections like A Link Between Worlds.
For more on where Breath of the Wild takes place in the Zelda timeline, you can watch a conversation about it with Kyle Hilliard and former video editor Wade Wojcik from shortly after the game released below.
Designed as a side-scrolling roguelike with heavy inspiration drawn from the Castlevania games, Dead Cells brilliantly squashes any frustration that arises from death with reassurances that most of the work the player puts in before their final breath adds up to something meaningful. The next run will be better because of the time and effort put into the last. This boost of confidence makes Dead Cells a dangerous game, as I continually found myself saying “just one more run.” As the clock turned from night to early morning and I made more gains in weapons, perks, and areas to explore, I didn’t want to put the game down.
In the opening seconds of play, you learn Dead Cells’ nameless protagonist is designed to handle failure well. He has recently perished, and you get to witness his resurrection. This odd being walks again, but only one thing is different: His head is missing. That vital space is now occupied by a swirling vortex of fire and smoke that can consume cells from other living things. His mission from this moment forward is to kill demons and devour their cells to become more powerful. When he dies, he goes back to square one, but if he can reach a safe zone, the cells he earned carry on.
That’s it for the story, and while the world’s strange foes and locations call for explanation, the brevity of narrative works. You don’t need to know who this guy is or where he’s going. Your only hope is that he did enough with his last life to reawaken with a better sword or an extra health flask.
The focus of the entire experience is on the pursuit of power, which is glorious. Developer Motion Twin wastes no time placing you on the hunting trail, which unfolds across sprawling, procedurally generated areas occupied with heavy enemy resistance. These foes range from slugs with pointy teeth to aggressive knights who will strike you down if you so much as pause for a second. The adversaries are well-designed in that their weaknesses are easy to exploit if you are on your game, but can be a handful if you screw up in any way. They all have unique behaviors and tells, and when jumbled together with other foes, take on whole new identities and may need to be addressed in different ways.
How exactly you approach encounters changes with each run, as the weapons and items you find are random. In one playthrough, your best bet may be a slow-slicing broadsword. In another run, you may rely on a powerful crossbow. The modifiers attached to said weapons can completely change the way you play. One modifier may reward bonus damage if the crossbow’s arrows are shot upward, whereas the broadsword could give you a 175-percent damage boost if the target is frozen – which means you want to hunt down a freeze spell, or modify a grenade to shower ice when it explodes. The expansive inventory of weapons is fun to explore, and even more enjoyable to wield. Each brings something different, and figuring out how they complement other gadgets is part of the fun. Once you find a lethal combo, and pair it with a mutation that can amplify boosts, you’ll be stomping bosses and gaining cells like mad.
The precise controls and nimbleness of your character accommodate all the weapon types well. The backbone of the experience is basic hacking and slashing, but it feels so good, given just how precise and skill-laden it is. The character’s dodge roll, stomp move, and double jump are also sewn into the mix well, both for exploration and combat. Evasion and counters are easy to execute, and you can bound across platforms with the grace of a superhero.
Some of the randomly generated level designs run into problems with long stretches leading nowhere, or two teleporters appearing practically on top of each other, but exploration is always fun and rewarding. Rare drops are littered across the adventure, and push you to perform well enough to reach a point where they are permanently added to your potential arsenal. The game’s biggest problem is the time commitment it demands from players. Yes, I can see myself playing Dead Cells ad nauseam, but as more time is dedicated to it, you learn you have to grind to earn the biggest rewards, which you may need to reach the latter stages. For instance, a full day of playing is likely required to unlock the fourth health flask. That said, as the hours flew by, I continually found new things in the stages, and other Metroid-like powers that granted access to regions I didn’t know existed.
Dead Cells is one of the more approachable and rewarding roguelikes I’ve encountered. Dying is never fun in games of this ilk, but the well-designed reward loop softens that blow and bolsters all subsequent runs, making the experience more about exploration and time committed than just player skill.
Update: Blizzard has shown off Ana and Winston's skins as well. We've added them to the list below.
The Summer Games event for Overwatch will soon be upon us and today Blizzard teased just a little bit more of what players can expect to find in those sweet loot boxes. Widowmaker's skin was shown off in the previous trailer for the event, but today we got a look at new skins for D.Va, Reinhardt, Winston, and Ana.
Here's a look at all of them:
Strike opponents out with CATCHER WINSTON (Legendary)! ⚾
Join us in Busan for Summer Games, kicking off August 9. pic.twitter.com/QrlWm6pdzs
Stay cool in the shade with CABANA ANA (Legendary)! 👒 🕶️
Join us in Busan for Summer Games, kicking off August 9. pic.twitter.com/algIOwJUGV
Break enemy lines with Gridironhardt Reinhardt (Legendary)! 🏈
Join us in Busan for Summer Games, kicking off August 9. pic.twitter.com/DIHj9XmaBv
Make a splash with WAVERACER https://t.co/JW0Aei8tV0 (Legendary)! 🌊
Join us in Busan for Summer Games, kicking off August 9. pic.twitter.com/0IO0BKZMuc
The event kicks off on August 9. For more on Overwatch, check out this feature on the 10 biggest changes that have come to the game's character roster.
The success of Octopath Traveler, which has sold over a million copies so far, has proven that there's still a huge audience of old school JRPG fans out there. It looks like there might be more of that old school grinding and leveling on the way to sate their hunger, too.
The official Twitter account for the Bravely Default tweeted out a statement yesterday celebrating the performance of Octopath Traveler. Though Bravely Default is from another studio than the one that developed Octopath, they both have the same publisher and embrace classic JRPG aesthetics and philosophy. The tweet thanks people for buying the game and then teases an silhouette of Bravely Default's cryst-fairy.
既報ですがー
＼オクトパス 100万 出荷／
ありがとうございます！
さてさて……⁉︎
今後ともスクエニ11BDのゲームにご注目下さいませm_ _m pic.twitter.com/4Y2Pj2CMq3
While that's not exactly a forthcoming game announcement, it sure is a strong hint that more Bravely Default is on the way. For more on the Bravely Default series, you can check out our review of Bravely Second: End Layer here.
[Source: Bravely Default Twitter via Siliconera]
Comments
Post a Comment