Other virtual worlds outside Second Life, Minecraft, Multiplayer Online Games, and Game Reviews
Friday, December 30, 2016
This And That: WoT's "Tankmas" and Swedish Tanks, War Thunder's Official Release, Rust Junks XP System, WarFrame, and Astroneer
By Bixyl Shuftan
Although my focus has been on Second Life, I've been hearing about a few developments in gaming. Some of my Second Life friends have been playing a new MMO game a lot, a new one in development caught the attention of a few, and there's been some developments in a few old favorites."World of Tanks" is going through it's yearly "Tankmas," with some goodies for it's players. For fun, this includes a tree and a snow tank players can decorate. They can get decorations by performing missions, and can level up their trees and snow tanks, getting a reward for doing so such as discounts on certain tanks or female crew members. There's also a new nation available: Sweden.
The Swedes were neutral in World War Two as neither Nazi Germany or Soviet Russia felt the risks of trying to conquer them were worth the rewards. The nation had it's own line of tanks, originally inspired by German designs but eventually finding it's own path in armor. Players have two lines of tech research: tank destroyers and a mix of light, medium, and heavy tanks. Rita mariner, one of the top tankers that I know of in Second Life, called the Swede tanks a mixed bag, some great, some okay, and some that she felt were just target practice for the opposition. But in addition to the Czech tanks that were introduced a few months ago, they do add to the variety of tanks (and spending more money for garage space).
Source: worldoftanks.com
War Thunder hasn't gotten quite as much attention among my Second Life friends as it's more difficult to team up, but I've still been hearing about developments. Some months ago, they introduced then expanded the list of, British Combat vehicles. This left Japan as the only nation in the game with airplanes only, but not for long. Japanese tanks are currently in development, currently available to those as part of the "testers team." An update in the mechanics in the game now allows for hydrolic suspension in certain vehicles. Also in development, naval combat. The first vessels won't be the destroyers, cruisers, and battleships of "World of Warships," but small craft such as PT boats. This means the game will eventually cover land, sea, and air.
With these developments, on December 21 the director of the game announced that "we have completed all the goals we set for ourselves in the early stages of development" and the open beta testing of the game was concluding after four years as the game was being officially released.
The road to release for War Thunder has been a fantastic journey, packed with development, we have from the outset been active in development and content heavy in regular updates to the game. Our commitment to the game has provided players with millions of hours of passion filled gameplay and we have gained many, many players as well as the veterans who have been with us from the very beginning. To all our fans, we sincerely thank you, we are so grateful for the continued support of our project and look forward to your continued support into the release.
We will continue to develop the game we all know and love but you won’t be seeing the same major changes in direction we have all been part of throughout the testing, gameplay and core mechanics can now settle down and we can at last concentrate on giving the game the polish and content it deserves. Additions will continue, there are still many military vehicles that can be included, our mapmakers will still create wonderful vistas and beautiful scenery to wage war in, of course there are still exciting features yet to be added - such as World War mode, new nations, new tournaments and more.
It’s been a pleasure to provide you, our players, with such an already filled out battle simulator and we look forward to even more happy times together as we continue to tread the path of the warrior.
Source: warthunder.com
When we last looked at the survival game "Rust," they had just introduced their experience, or XP, system. But not only did a number of players complain about it, the development team soon came to the conclusion the system wrecked the feel of the game as an open sandbox with exploring and random encounters and turned it into a grinding slog. So they got rid of it and put in it's place a "component system."
Players are able to build all items from the start. But some things require additional items to make. So when you go around smashing barrels and opening crates, you'll find items such as road signs, pipes, used propane tanks, tarps, and sewing kits. The sewing kits are needed to make clothes beyond the basic burlap coverings, such as pants and t-shirts. For the shoddy armor made from road signs, naturally you'll need a few of the road signs. Pipes are one of the items needed for shotguns, and so on.
You can also recycle the metal and cloth items you find in the recyclers, that one can find in the warehouses across the island. Just put in the items and a little wood, and press the green button. Tarps are made into cloth, metal parts into low quality and high quality metal. It you throw in tools and clothes, you'll get back half the metal it takes to make it.
While you can still find lone barrels around the island, you can also find them, along with crates and food boxes, on new junkpiles, which appear around the landscape. You can also find oil-bearing barrels on them sometimes, which means you don't have to make long treks to the oil storage facility or airport or kill a critter to make a little fuel, or make a trip to and use an oil rig which in itself uses up fuel.
With players able to get metal and oil easier, I wondered what the catch was. As it turns out, an old nemesis from Rust's earlier days is around a lot more: radiation. It had appeared earlier, but was in a few small areas that could be easily avoided. This time, it's encountered more frequently. While the oil storage area is still rad-free, other places I've been in so far will start the Geiger-counter ticks. At least the water treatment plant was only half-contaminated. There are also small power stations around which while having oil drums around also have radiation hazards. This means the radiation pills you occasionally come across are going to come in handy to avoid poisoning, in addition to the radiation suits you'll occasionally find. The downside, they're not going to provide much protection against bullets and blows. Plus most players will prefer wearing something else. You're going to need to save space in your inventory for your clothes when switching to the suit. Which means your forrays into the ruins have gotten more complicated and less rewarding. On the plus side, in servers with more and hostile players, you may have less competition.
Source: Rust Devblog
So what's new that's gotten the attention of my Second Life friends lately? Two games come to mind. One is Warframe, a first person sci-fi combat MMO game. In the game, the player takes the part of a "Teno," a warrior in a faceless biomechanical suit or "Warframe" whom has been reawoken after ages in hibernation to combat the Grineer, an army of clone soldiers trying to take over the Solar System. Players have a choice of what kind of fighter to be, as well as a choice of ranged and melee weapons. Beyond the turorial mission, from what I have heard missions are all multiplayer with no solo fighting, with some story and plot involved as one goes on.
I personally haven't had much experience with the game as I found it difficult to "get," and before I could meet up with Skylark Lefavre and Pagan Sunburn whom are fans of the game, the game fouled up while updating. My friends have had similar trouble, to the point of occasionally calling the game "Glitchframe." So unless someone does a reader submission, there may not be much more to say about Warframe.
Another game that's gotten attention of my friends is "Astroneer." This game, still in Alpha, is in it's very early stages. Players take the part of an astronaut stranded on an alien planet trying to build a base, trying not to run out of oxygen. The game is somewhat similar to "Space Engineers," but is more cartoony, simpler, and no PvP option so far. Players can get together to work on a single base. Thankfully, some needed materials are slowly renewable, but things are complicated by occasional sandstorms.
"Astroneer" is very new, so if you get it, expect some changes as the game goes on. The game is currently available on Steam.
That's all for now in gaming.
Bixyl Shuftan
Wednesday, December 28, 2016
Adventures in Tyria, A Look at Guild Wars 2 And Legendary Weapons
By Grease Coakes
When I bought Guild Wars 2 a few years ago I was pulled in by the immense world that’s Tyria. Being a steady player staying up to 3 or 4am some nights playing pvp or doing dungeons has brought me a long way.
I highly recommend this game as now you just have to pay for the heart of thorns expansion as the base game is free. However the way Guild Wars 2 makes it’s money is with gems and people buying the expansion. Another name for GW2 is fashion wars as you can buy outfits or accessories with gems you purchase with real money. Or you could buy gems with gold earned in game.
The classes you can play as such as Mesmer,Elementist,Necromancer who wear light armor. The medium armor classes are Engineer,Ranger,Thief. The Heavy armor classes are Guardian,Warrior and now with the expansion Reverant which is a mystic warrior which can use the mists to bring him power.
Mesmer can make mirror images as his images attack for you and confuse foes. Elementlists harness the four elements to attack or heal with water. Necromancers use death as magic to bring foes to an early grave.
Engineers use gadgets and guns to blast enemies. Rangers like hunters in wow hunt with bow and arrow and have an animal companion to hunt along with them. Thieves have low hit points but can attack with stealth and do heavy damage with daggers and pistols.
The Heavy classes are Guardian which is like a Paladin smiting with holy powers. The Warrior is the tough mace swinging solider.
Each class can use different weapons such as pistol or sword. Every weapon gives different attacks 1-5 on your keyboard. If you decide to give Guild Wars 2 a try, play around and see what character and weapons work best for you.
Also for the new expansion there are elite classes you have to get hero points to unlock. Chronomancer for Mesmer and Tempest for Elementlist. You have to gain hero points to unlock the elite classes.
In the game there are crafting professions such as Chef, Huntsman, Artficing, Weaponsmithing and more. They can make goods, such as food and dyes for chefs, melee weapons for weaponsmiths. But crafting professions were also needed to help make something which has been a tremendous source of pride for me.
When you forge a legendary it’s useable by ANY of your account characters. So long as your character can use whatever legendary weapon. For example my Mesmer can use it, but also so can my human ranger.
Another bonus to having a legendary weapon on top of having wonderful visual effects is the fact that so long as you’re out of combat you can change the stats to whatever you choose. If you want more hit points pick solider. If you want more condition damage and precision pick viper. Equipment such as armor and weapons have stat combos. If you want to change stats you have to unequip your legendary weapon and click select stats. It’s fun to experiment to see how Viper or Assassin will change your damage or boost your armor.
You might be asking “Grease how do you get a legendary weapon?” Well it took a LOT of work. And a lot of gold. When you first start the game you might want to start exploring and practice playing at one class or try another class and like that better. One of the things you need for any legendary weapon is the gift of exploration. You get that when you explore all the maps of Tyria. The new legendary weapons such as Nevermore you need to explore the new areas in the Heart of thorns expansion.
Also dungeons and PvP. You can get free weapons and armor through dungeon tracks. The eight dungeons offer weapons and armor and specific to each dungeon. The weapons and armor have stat combos. So it very possible before you even hit 80 which is the max level to have exotic or orange gear.
PvP is very harsh. Overwatch is a fairy tale compared to how hard and intense Guild Wars 2 PvP can be. HOWEVER. You can get clovers and weapons and armor for free if you stick to it. Mystic clovers you also need for legendary weapons. It’s easier to get them through PvP but slower and cheaper then taking chances with the mystic forge. You also receive tomes of knowledge through PvP.
But don’t throw all your time into PvP though. Once you hit 80 you can do dungeons and get gold along with lots of low level weapons and armor to salvage for magic find. Over time magic find gets higher so you find better armor and weapons and also materials such as vicious claws that you also need for legendary weapons. Dungeons are easy once you get the hang of them.
In order to PvP on the dungeon tracks you have to complete the story mode of whatever dungeon. For example the first dungeon story mode I unlocked was Honor of the waves. When you first start Citadel of Flame is already playable. That offers berserker gear which has power precision and Ferocity. Most players use this gear for the highest damage but it makes your character fragile as well.
Also something you can complete is a title called dungeoneer which offers you ascended (pink) accessories for free. Each dungeon has the weapons and armor sets you can unlock through completing the dungeons giving you tokens for whatever dungeon. When you unlock ALL of them you receive an accessory on the house. Two of them have healing stats. Two of them have assanin’s stats for high damage. The other two are solider’s for tanking. The last two are carrion for condition damage. Such as fire burning an enemy or a sword cutting someone making him/her bleed.
When you finally grunt and get all the dungeons you not only have those eight accessories for free. You also get the title of dungeoneer AND a large treasure chest.
While you get these armor and weapons you might not be using you can salvage them into ectos which (surprise) you need for a legendary weapon AND sell for decent gold. When you get dungeoneer you can keep using tokens for gear just salvage on top anything else you find in dungeons.
Also to get legendries, you have to get gifts from professions. For example for Rodgort I need Chef and Huntsman to create gifts to combine in the mystic forge for your weapon. Not only that it was costly in gold to get the materials for the gifts. You also had to spend gold to bring your crafting profession to a high enough level to create the gift. Sound expensive? Yes it was but worth it as my Mesmer walks around with fire foot prints now.
I hope this helps anyone looking for a new game to play to suck you in to goof off and play on your days off. Also once you pay for the expansion THERE’S NO MONTHLY FEE. Whether you play around for free with limited options or buy the expansion Heart of Thorns of HOT for short. Arena Net doesn’t charge you a subscription fee. Feel free if you see something you like to buy with gems (from real money) or gold within game traded for gems.
Bring yourself to Tyria for a grand adventure I know I have. There’s also guilds to join to share your adventure with others who might share in your interests and you might get lucky as you might also talk with people also from Second life. In fact I’m working on a second legendary called the Bifrost a rainbow staff. https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/The_Bifrost Who knows you might run into me in this fantasy/steampunk massive RPG.
Grease Coakes
Friday, November 18, 2016
Game Review: Overwatch
By Grease Coakes
Blizzard entertainment has been around for a long time from the days of Warcraft to World of Warcraft and also Starcraft. Not a company to be lazy and bet everything on their cash cow, recently they came out with Overwatch: a first person shooter based on the game Team Fortress 2.
In TF2 you select a player such as a solider or a Heavy to take out the other team. To push forward a payload or capture a point. One team defends while the other attacks. Overwatch is very much the same game however it offers over twenty different roles to play. And unlike TF2 there are also women characters, not just men, to shoot and kill the other team with. Each team red and blue has six characters per side. You’ll see graphics to the side saying that’s there’s no tanks or too many snipers.
The characters are split into four groups to pick what role you wish to play. Attack does heavy damage but can only take a few hits. Defense is excellent at holding a point and slowing down the enemy advancing. Tank is there to take the hits for you so squishy characters don’t die. Healing/support is how is sounds to offer healing to tanks and extra attack. With the exception of the mech D Va, all characters when they hit zero hit points die. D Va gets ejected from her Mecha tank and gets a second chance to keep fighting with a pistol and low hit points.
In addition to brighter graphics and better voices each character has an ultimate that continues charging through death. So if you’re playing as Mcree a wild west gunslinger and die when your ultimate is at 99%. When you revive your ultimate will problary be 100% Over time when you block damage, heal, do damage and kill other player characters your ultimate builds up. An ultimate is something you want to fire off to change the course of battle. Mcree’s ultimate is him saying “It’s High Noon” in a western drawl and everyone he sees he shoots down dead. Mei’s ultimate a Chinese woman in an arctic snow suit is a blizzard which freezes enemy players. She shoots ice shards at long range. Her ice walls keep enemy players away and blocks damage. She’s a good defensive player if you want to play enemies off your point.
The sounds are much better with various voices that sound like professional actors with voices saying things such as “Love D Va!” Or Lucio a music loving healer will yell out “This is my Jam!” Another voice that will stick in your head is Reaper doing his ultimate when he says DIE DIE DIE!
The graphics are cartoonish but also bright and colorful. Even though the game is the same every time you play, each game tends to be different as you play at different locations. There’s also lots of variety in the twenty plus characters.
What the designers changed recently is that in quick play you can no longer have more than one of a certain character. Which means if I grab a D Va character as a tank someone else who wanted to be a tank could be roadhog or pick a Tracer to be offense instead. I guess Blizzard wanted to stop two of the same character so the other team wouldn’t over specialize and beat the other team. So when you master Solider 76,you can always master that defensive player Junk Rat with shoots bombs that bounce around and blow enemy players to dust. Or why not Pharah who flies and shoots rockets?
As you play you gain experience per match which levels you up. It’s not like a RPG though. You don’t get more hit points and new spells. Instead you get a loot box every level. The loot boxes give out skins for the various characters, voice lines, sprays and coins to buy what you want for your favorite characters. For example I bought an earthen skin which is a deep green for Mei so she looks more masculine and not so girly. So your level of 50 might look impressive on screen. However that won’t stop a level 3 character shooting you down as Hanzo. Hanzo is a defensive player who is a sniper who shoots down foes with his bow and arrow. Level doesn’t mean anything as you play.
For the price of 40$ Overwatch can be yours as an excellent first person shooter. Blizzard has taken the idea of Team Fortress 2 and brought it to the next level of playability with great voice effects, the option of spray painting on walls and more. If you’re new to shooting games there is a tutorial so you’re not thrown into the game and you’re clueless as other players shoot you down. Also an option to fight AI enemies as well as a practice area.
If you’re thinking like Mcree that it’s high noon and you want to shoot some outlaws, Overwatch might be the game for you.
Grease Coakes
Wednesday, October 5, 2016
Game Review: Far Cry Primal
Introduction
Until
recently the Far Cry games have been set in the present day time
sequence. This time,
Ubisoft – creator of different games , has decided to set the Far
Cry game into the Stone Age.
It’s
around 10.000 BC, a time when humankind has just
began to settle into the world. In these
times, it was survival of the fittest that ruled the world back then.
Story
and Gameplay
It’s
10.000 BCE and humankind is on the brink of extinction. It’s
the end of the Ice Age and the beginning of the Stone Age. To get
higher in the food chain, humans need to find a way to conquer the
elements and their surroundings and battle against predators and
other animals.
In the
game you take on the role of Takkar, a caveman warrior, who will do
everything to keep his tribe, the Wenja, from getting attacked by the
two other tribes. The Wenja, the tribe that Takkar, the main character is part of , are
also known as “Soft Bloods”. They have traveled “many suns”
prior to arrival at Oros. The Udam are known to be “Flesh Eaters.” This means they are
cannibals, because they think it will make them stronger by doing
so. The Izila are known as “Sun Walkers”. They are more of a Aztec-like
tribe. They worship their High Priestess called “Batari.”
Takkar
needs to find materials in the world to craft his own weaponry and he
will need to conquer the other two tribes in order to save his tribe
from extinction. Not only for weapons he needs to find resources,
also for upgrading his village and to get more villains.
Becoming
the Beast Master !
During
your quests in Far Cry Primal you will encounter many predators like
: wolfs, bears, hyenas, sable tooth tigers and other animals that you
can tame when you have the skills.
Taming an
animal is not so difficult. You just make bait ( made from meat ) and
then throw it near the animal. It will come and eat from the bait and
then you must slowly ( really slow ) approach the animal and then
keep the button pressed that is indicated to tame the beast. Once the
circle is full white, you will have tamed the animal in question.
The first
animal that you will be able to tame is a white wolf. Once you have
that one, you can tame other animals. For the bigger animals, you
will need more skills and more experience.
Once you
have the sable tooth tiger, other predators will not attack you any
longer. There are
up to 17 animals to tame in the game. Once you
have all of them, you can move on as well. But once
you have the sabretooth tiger, it will give you a lot of power to
attack enemies.
Gaining
experience points in the game
Every
animal or enemy you kill will give you experience points.This will
allow you to level up and gain skills. With those
skills you can do another ability within the game.
Healing
yourself and your beasts
When you
get hurt in the game there’s a little health bar under the
mini-map. When it
gets low you are in danger of dying. To help this you can heal
yourself by pressing the assigned button or keystroke. You will see
Takkar either eat a piece of meat or stretch his fingers or getting
an arrow out of his arm. This will
get your health bar full again.
Besides
that, when you have tamed animals, you can heal them too, by giving
them a piece of meat. It will restore their health as well. You can
also pet your animal to make it happy again.
Day and
Night Cycle
There is a
Day and Night sequence in the game. When you
choose to sleep, it will ask you till when you want to sleep : until
the sun comes up again or when the sun goes down again.
At night,
some predators will be more aggressive then when they are in daytime. Be aware
of this fact when hunting down animals! This fact
makes it harder for Takkar to hunt animals during night time.
Graphical
detail and open world
The
graphics of the game are really amazingly realistic. In fact,
the whole world is so realistic that you wonder how they could
actually recreate it for this game.
It’s a
open world, which means you can walk around it and do what you want
to do in it.
Oros,
the land of The Stone Age
The land
you will need to survive in this game is called Oros. It was in the
central of Europe and it’s the first time that people will fight
for land. Mankind
was not necessarily at the top of the food chain and had to fight for survival.
The land
of Oros is a vast land in which many animals live. But not
only animals live in this land, also two other tribes do. All of the
three tribes are going to have to fight for their land and claim it
for themselves.
Since
Takkar is the Beast Master, he is able to tame animals in the game
and use them in advantage for fighting animals and the other tribes. You, the
player, will need to play as Takkar and survive in the world of Oros.
Videos
:
Far Cry
Primal : Behind The Scenes :
Far Cry
Primal : King of the Stone Age :
Far Cry
Primal : Beast Master Trailer :
Far Cry
Primal – Gameplay Trailer :
Conclusion
Far Cry
Primal is the most realistic game that I have ever experienced. This is a
survival game and it shows, because you can’t just “buy” your
weapons, no you need to craft them yourself. This means
you need to find the resources in the world itself : wood, slate and
other materials can be found in Oros. But you
can find plants as well, that you can collect.
Bonfires
are places that you can claim to easily travel from one point in the
game to another point in the game. This is a good way of fast
traveling.
The
graphics of the game are amazingly realistic. You are directly thrown
into the story and the game itself.
If you are
looking for a great game and your laptop or desktop can run the game,
buy this game, it’s absolutely worth it !
Wesley Regenbogen
Friday, September 30, 2016
"No Man's Sky" Game Under Investigation By UK For Deceptive Advertising
By Bixyl Shuftan
Hello Games, the people behind "No Man's Sky," is in trouble. Most computer and console owners have been disappointed by games they bought that they feel didn't live up to the anticipation. But in the case of this particular game, so many have expressed disappointment that it's being investigated by an advertising regulation agency.
"No Man's Sky" by Hello Games was one of the most anticipated computer games of the summer, promising an unbelievable huge universe to explore, "epic space battles," challenging planetary survival conditions, and more.
That the game was boasting 18 quintillion planets (that's an "18" with eighteen zeroes after it, compared to a million which has six) did get some wondering if perhaps the makers were exaggerating things a little. But with the hype and videos having wetted the appetites of gamers, when it was finally released, thousands of computer and console owners bought the game. At one point, "Steam" recorded over 200 thousand people playing the game on their PCs at once, and was the top selling Playstation 4 game in August.
To make a long story short, most everyone found the game a disappointment. There were numerous bugs in the initial release, as well as advertised features that simply weren't there, "There are things missing that I didn't even know were missing." One person who did like the game admitted, "It took me about 12 hours to realize that No Man’s Sky is basically an intergalactic mining simulator. ... there isn't much to do ... other than to gaze at the humbling wonders of the universe, and ponder your absolute insignificance in the cosmic scale of things." Even the President of Sony, Shuhei Yoshida, which distributed the game for Playstation, felt Hello Games had promised more than it delivered.
Word got around that the game was underwhelming, and people either demanded and got refunds or simply quit playing. By September 21, Steam was detecting that the number of people playing at once had dropped to under a thousand, less than half a percent of it's peak in just a few weeks.
If bad publicity wasn't enough for Hello Games to worry about, the complaints got the attention of the Advertising Standards Authority in the United Kingdom, an "independent regulator of advertising across all media." While the ASA can't enforce regulations and laws, "it does have the power to have advertisements which breach its code of advertising practice removed," with the threat of sanctions if such ads are not taken down.
For Hello Games however, the damage may already be done. As the maker of such a high profile flop, it may find further games difficult to market. For consumers, it may mean better games in the future as this may serve as a cautionary tale for developers to not make claims that their products can't live up to.
Sources: Wikipedia, Forbes, gamezone.com, Arcade Rage, PC Gamer ,
Bixyl Shuftan
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Friday, September 9, 2016
Game Review: Tom Clancy’s "The Division"
By Wesley Regenbogen
Introduction
Back in
2001 an operation known as “Dark Winter” was launched as a real
world exercise that tested emergency response to a bioterror attack
on the United States of America. In this
exercise they tested how long it would take emergency workers to
respond to a possible bioterror attack.
Game
plot
The game
“Tom Clancy’s : The Division” ( from now on we will refer to it
as “The Division” ) is a third person shooter set in the present
New York. Terrorists
have released a pandemic-causing virus on the dollar bills on Black Friday
and soon afterwards smallpox virus is infecting the people. Many people
died from the virus and Central Park in New York has become
a mass burial place. The
government can’t handle the situation when groups of scavengers
take over the streets.
When
everything else fails, there’s a group of highly trained civilians
called “The
Strategic Homeland Division" (SHD)”, also referred to as “The
Division.” These
agents are only called upon when everything else has failed. Which is
the case in the game.
After a
short intro cinematic ( embedded below ), the player is directly
thrown into the game itself. When the
player closes a door of a car nearby, the player is able to customize
his character in the game and after that is done, the game starts.
First,
the player needs to do a tutorial and a few missions. When the player
arrives in Manhattan, this is
where the game really starts.
Opening Cinematic video :
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8lSNNyHzmc4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
(click here if the video fails to play)
(click here if the video fails to play)
In
Search of Green Poison to fight the Green flu
Green
Poison was the substance responsible for the virus outbreak in New
York. People got
what they call the “Green Flu.” The player
needs to find the source of the outbreak and then a vaccine can be
created to cure the smallpox virus. Division
agents are now on the streets and they are trying to get the
situation under control. Question
remains … Will they succeed in their goal and find the source of
the virus ?
The
Division Agents
Agents of
The Division are a classified unity of highly trained, self-supported
tactical agents. Their main
objective is to restore the order in New York city and ensure that
the government can continue their work and stabilize the situation at
hand. Division
agents are called upon when everything else has failed. They
are “activated,” once the President of the U.S. signs Directive
51, which itself is activated when disaster strikes and the situation
is serious.
Dark
Zone : Quarantine zone where the virus hit the hardest, PvP arena
The “Dark Zone” is the zone on the map where the virus has hit the hardest and a virus shield is needed to enter this area. Players can either choose to group together and work together or they can choose to be a solo gamer and kill other players. When a player kills another player in the Dark Zone, he/she is considered as a “Rogue Agent”.
Enemies
in the game ( more info, watch the Enemies Factions video listed
below )
- Rioters
Rioters
are a group of common thug and criminals that just want to rob and
kill others for the sake of survival or just for enjoyment.
- Rikers
The Rikers are escaped convicts from Rikers Island. They
come from different gangs. Their motto is “power by numbers.”
- Cleaners
The Cleaners are former sanitation workers (garbage
men, janitors, custodians, ect … ). They believe that the virus can
be destroyed by fire, so they burn everything down. Unfortunately, this includes civilians, and you.
- Last Man Battalion
Also known as LMB, these group of enemies are member of
a private military company. They want to create a new world order by force.
Gameplay
aspects of the game
When
you select a mission, you need to follow the GPS orange line towards
your destination. Beware
that during your walk or run towards your mission, you can encounter
scavengers and crooks that want to shoot at you. You
will need to kill them first, before you move on towards your
mission. Hint
: Keep an eye on your mini-map! This will make you aware of enemy
presence with your area where you are in.
On
your backpack you will see how many items you have currently in your
inventory and also will see which abilities that you have enabled. When
you get hit, you will not see a health bar or something else, but you
will see that your screen gets red, this indicates that you are hit
and need to seek cover to avoid getting killed in action. Your
health will regenerate when you have found coverage behind something.
When
your enemies throw a smoke bomb or a fire bomb towards you, you will
see a red area where it will hit, if you are in this area, get out of
it asap. With
some weaponry that you have, you can get a over-shoulder view when
aiming at the enemies. This
is not with every weapon, but with only a few. A
so-called “sticky bomb” is a bomb that you throw on enemies and
can explode, this certainly attracts their attention and you can
shoot down your enemies after it.
Another
cool thing is the map. When you open the map, your character is
standing “in” the map as it is a holographical map.
Looting
When
you kill an enemy, you are able to loot their weapons, clothing and
anything else that they might be carrying with them. In
the “Dark Zone” this loot will be something with more value. In
the normal game it just is a “reward” that you get for killing
the enemy.
Abilities
: Skills, Talents and Perks
Skills
Video
about Skills :
Talents
Video
about Talents :
Perks
Sound
tracks of the game :
Personal
opinion about Tom Clancy’s : The Division
If
you are looking for a shooter game that involves realism and very
high detailed graphics, then THIS is the game you are looking for. The very
high graphics and realism makes this game as realistic as it gets. There
might be a few glitches and crashes, but overall this game has
elevated my expectations and clearly the developers of the game,
Ubisoft, have succeeded in making this a top game.
You
can play this game on your own, but when you look for other players,
you can play it in co-op and you can complete missions together. The gameplay
of the game is fluent and you can get to cover everywhere in the
game, so that enemies have lesser chance of hitting you.
The
“Dark Zone” I haven’t reached yet, but eventually I will get
to that as I progress in the game.
This
is definitely a game that you need to buy, if you haven’t bought it
yet, get to your local game store and get it !
Wesley Regenbogen
Thursday, August 11, 2016
Relay for Life in InWorldz Kickoff
By Bixyl Shuftan
In Second Life, the official Relay for Life fundraising season is almost over, the Wrap-Up event being this upcoming Sunday. But for InWorldz, their season is only just beginning. Made up of both residents primarily in this smaller virtual world, and Second Life residents whom also have avatars here, InWorldz own Relay season is smaller in scope than that of it's larger counterpart, but still raises quite a bit of cash. And on Saturday at 8AM, InWordz Relay season began with their season's opening event: the Kickoff.
The event started with a "Pre-Speech Warm-Up" party by Martin Glom, followed at 9AM with a live music performance by Mikie String. Starting at 10AM and going on to 11 were a few speeches.
A transcript of the speeches was provided to the Newser.
* * * * *
Oldesoul Eldemar
My Fellow Relayers
As my first speech as the Chair of Relay For Life of InWorldz, I really do not know where to begin. RFL of IW -has come together as I have never seen a group of folks work. This past two weeks have just been phenomenal. Not only am I proud of each and every one of you - but wow ! The amount of work completed could have only been done by some very fine folks. I am not going to name names, due to the fact that I know I will leave someone out. You know who you are and my genuine thanks go to each and every one of you !
For those are you that may be thinking, now what IS that bobcat talking about THIS time.
We procured with the help of a most gracious donor a new main 2x2.. Honestly, this is the best thing that could have happened to us. We are out where we can add on and become as big as each and every one of your hearts. BIG thanks to our donor and our great committee! We appreciate all that you did and to those not on committee but who gave us a great hand when needed,
It is so exciting to already have 12 teams and not just any 12 teams but 12 fine teams that will do a great job. Already we have made more money in General Donations than ever before - https://rflofiw.org/ Scroll down to see totals. You will see totals for your team there already. The kiosks rezzed here and and by the amphitheater have been contributed to. Please remember it is bad luck to rezz a kiosk without adding even a few izzies. We will be adding convio totals to this page, thanks to our dear friend Wolf Hartnell.. If your team does not have convio set up yet, there are several of us that can help you do that. With six teams already signed up, it will take very little time. http://relay.acsevents.org/site/TR/RelayForLife/RFLCY16SL?fr_id=70672&pg=entry Use your IW information on this form. Kitty Gumbo is your team ambassador.
Most of you know me but for those who don't, just a little background information, this is my 8th virtual relay, The people who have always been behind me and supported me have been in each and every one, answering all my silly questions and teaching. My dear wife Cassie has been with me every step of the way. Admiral Beaumont and Ms. Eilidh McCullough have been priceless. What you see is the result of these kind friends and their teaching. My typist is a teacher and I feel it is necessary to always acknowledge those who gave us guidance. Leadership is not new to me, but it was in virtual worlds. I assisted two different RL relays at our schools for several years, by providing materials and acted as a liaison for relay and the school system. A memorable moment was having the opportunity to hold our granddaughter's hand and walk around the track. Poppa really appreciated that moment.
Coming to Virtual Worlds, I have captained an awesome team in SL and served on committee as a coach. . However my proudest moments were working with RFL of IW with our team, WeeFolks For a Cure under the guidance of Hairy Thor and Bain Finch. I have served on committee and helped whenever possible. I have had the enjoyment of watching a fantastic relay grow from a little office on Hairy's sim to a sim, to a 2x2 and now this . It is beyond words. i was so impressed with InWorldz and the possiblities - I joined the Events Committee and also help with Grid wide events. So you will see me around ! I do have a deep belief in a boots on the ground approach. When you have an event, have Martin place it on the calendar and we will be there as best we can. There are only 12 teams, so please, it is not necessary to plan on top of each other. Remember your venues too, and take care of them.
We are a global relay, our committee shows it, our relayers show it! We cannot have everything at the exact right time for everyone, but we will do our best. Also - our global economy is izzies - that is how our totals will be reported. Convio does use USD but Euros can use paypal and it will convert.
We only hold a 10 week relay, the rest of our time in InWorldz, will be working with folks from Hope Lodges, setting up our InShape Trails, giving them someplace to be a part of a wonderful community while still in treatment, or after they go home. We will concentrate on health, wellness, nutrition and other helpful things such as our Chakra classes led by our Fight Back Ambassador, Cataplexia Numbers. We will be hosting a Survivor and Caregiver group for those wishing to have a group to chat with. Cassie and I know as caregivers for our mothers, both cancer survivors, a group like this is invaluable.
Finally, I do believe that this, our 5th year relay is going to be a banner year. I relay so that folks will never have to hear those words - you have cancer. I see that there is new research coming along and I think it is quite promising. Please look at our info boards and check with those links. You will be proud. Plan some great events - attend events - but most of all these three things you MUST DO!! Smile, have fun, and do awesome things. Get to know one another, listen and help one another.
At this time, I would like to introduce another very special friend who always makes me smile when he says - wow, just wow!, my co chair Martin Glom. He was chosen for his wonderful ideas and new fresh beginnings. Let's GO GO GO RELAY!!! Martin....
I would now like to introduce a very special person to all of us. Ms. Cataplexia She is our Fight Back Ambassador and helps with builds, notices, and keeping Olde in line - i takes a village to raise a bobcat. Ms Cat.
Thank you so much for joining us today - the text was purposefully done for our Euro friends for whom English is not a first language. We will be joining DJ Cat - (yes, she does that too) in the Stage of Infinite Hope (where we started) We need the exercise !
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Martin Glom
Thank you so much Oldesoul
Ill keep my speech short and sweet much like myself (Pause for Laughs) "silently talks to himself" keep cool its your big day Mr Glom keep cool no major boos yet and i dont see any eggs (Yet)---haha im just kidding.
Hello to all and welcome to Relay For life Of Inworldz 2016...(Our theme this year Relay Round The World One Hope One World) and that is what we do every year we relay from all around the world Were a global Relay and were so excited you're here to join us.
Relay For Life of Inworldz is a signature fundraising event of the American cancer society and we all relay on a global scale...Global Relay For Life (IRFL) events are now held in more than 600 communities spanning 23 countries and 2 virtual worlds.
This unique activity is designed to celebrate survivorship and raise money for life-saving research and programs, unites and mobilizes community members committed to eliminating cancer.
When I see our community here I think wow, everyone keeps saying to me inworldz is such a small grid there is no one around the place and it is is empty, I think to myself what are they sniffing are they on drugs have they even opened there eyes and looked around, since coming to inworld 3 years ago I've seen a community with some of the biggest hearts I've ever seen so kind generous.
This year marks a new chapter for relay for life we see our previous Chair and Co-Chair step down after doing some invaluable work over the past 4 years, to open the door to a new Chair and Co-Chair which enables RFLofIW to get some fresh ideas fresh experience and fresh minds in this signature event.
But none of the ideas would be possible without a team force behind us that's so strong including our Community here in Inworldz its amazing to see so many people come together from around the world to hold hands and to be together in a time of need.
We have seen this many times throughout the year and previous years after loosing so many close friends and family members and the hurdles we have been faced with our will, strength, community and, determination is what makes us bounce back when the chips are down i know i can rely on our community here and my fellow relayers from around the world.
I would like to extend a huge thanks to ms Luna Stormfeather who is our chief editor for our magazine and our Media Specialist, and of course to the one and only Wolf Hartnell who is our tech Support Specialist who makes relay possible from our vendors to our kiosks he is the driving force behind the scenes of relay
We have seen how much of a community spirit is here in inworldz, when we 10 days before relay lost the ACS sims and where left to become self-sufficient,we had to get a new sim which we got from an Anonymous Donor who wishes to remain Anonymous but you know who you are and we thank you so much for what you are doing to help us carry the relay torch.
When we got the sim we had to rebuild everything and our community jumped in right away to help we seen just how amazing a community can be in a time of need we where speechless and in aw at how amazing everyone was.
Now there are too many amazing people to list and you know who you are but a big shout out has to goto Cassie Eldemar, Aminata Potez , Eilidh McCullough , Cataplexia Numbers, Benski Trenkins , Yichard Muni, and everyone involved in making our relay possible i dont want to leave anyone out but he list is too grat to mention everyone so many kinds hearts coming together you all know who you are and we love and thank you.
For what you all done combined in 10 days was amazing and totally un real there of course is allot more working behind the scenes and up front in our relay and it would take me a long time to name them all but you know who you are and we respect and admire everything you do and you and everyone should be proud of what you do and achieve each year.
And I also would like to extend huge thanks to Mr. Rycon Bamaisin who both him and his wife are active relayers, Rycon is the mind behind a new project were hoping to get of the ground trough our own radio station and our dream of having morning shows and shows for survivors and caregivers and relayers a place to chat and share feelings this will be one of a kind to Inwolrdz and never done before on this grid, thank you so much Rycon to both you and your wife Nicole for everything you do.
I am so happy to be taking the Torch from the previous Co.Chair to step beside an amazing person as Oldesoul his knowledge and experience is what will shape this relay, his dedication and spirit is what will excel this relay, his passion and courage is what will take our relay above and beyond I'm just glad he trusted me enough to stand beside him while he was doing it.
I am looking forward to learning and supporting Olde and the community in everything I do during season and off season and I thank you all for allowing me the chance to relay with you and lets make 2016 our year.
Big hugs and GoGo Relay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bain Finch
Thank you Martin and Oldesoul.
When I came into IWz to help with launch Relay I had many goals and wishes for this Relay. And in our 4 years together, you have hit many of those goals and filled a lot of those wishes and help create ones I didn't have.
And since handing off to new leaders, which I firmly believe is in the best interest of an all Relay organizations to have new leaders at semi regular intervals, to breath new energies and ideas, to make the whole better,, hit a few more goals all ready with the creation of the RFLofIW magazine!
Thank you Luna Stormfeather and all those involved. And now the launch of Fouse Radio, the official Radio station of Relay For Life on InWorldz!!! Woohooo! Yay! Thank you Rycon and everyone that help create and launch Fouse Radio!
Another goal / wish I did have, and this one I knew it would take some time for it to come together. But you know, I do think we have taken another very important step in reaching that one.
One very important piece of this goal is my dear friend, met her in another Relay, (coughs, hummm) and she help establish that support group there. She has a long career of working with cancer support groups, at home in the UK and Holland and pretty much all over the organic world. My very dear friend Poppy Zabelin and she is here to help build a support group for our InWorldz survivors and caregivers.
Personally have been fortunate,, knock of wood, cancer free, but I know my family's history, two generations back. I was a secondary caregiver for my dad, as I was living at home at the time and my mom was #1.
Now since joining Relay, been the primary person for many friends, to hold their hands and talk, cry, laugh, all the way through their journey. So ya, I define myself a caregiver.
Caregivers need just as much help, as survivors, as they are living and juggling two or more lives, if they have children still at home. The stresses for them are just as real, just as heavy, just as weighty, just as life changing, for them, as those in their charge.
I hate how the outcome for the survivor is reduced to a percentage or odds, the one thing I have never asked of someone by the way.,,, The outcome for the caregiver, can be just as dark. You might lose your life's partner or loved one, and in many cases, have financial and emotional challenges for years to come regardless of the outcome.
Yet they feel they need to strong and in charge. But in all reality, you are totally out of control, stressed beyond belief and running for you and their lives.
Tightly woven with this wish/goal of mine, are the ideals, mission and goal of another ACS creation, Hope Lodge. Many countries in the greater global cancer society family, have their own version of hope lodge too.
I know Canada has them, many European countries too, under different names, with essentially the same objective of provide a temporary lodging while undergoing treatment away from home.
These lodges all become central resource centers for these people, with all the information they need, local connections to companies and service designed for them. And because some stays can last of a long time, with some cancer treatment types, are staying with others, have each other to lean on.
As I said on the Morning show on Fouse Radio, The one truth I have come to know about InWorldz residents, you have it in your DNA to pull together. We fight through the oddest issues and keep on going.
You are the beacon of HOPE. For all those to come, I am betting, past survivors and caregivers, will be here for you, with their life's lessons, with their personal stories, for what helped them get through the long dark night. Maybe, just maybe, just knowing the simple fact they got through it and are not only surviving but are thriving, is enough to strengthen ones resolve, to get through theirs.
With what have happened in the few days with the creation of Hope Village, have another piece of that puzzle, just got place on the board.
And as more people join our RFL of IW survivors and caregivers group in InWorldz and our IWz family grows, will now have a home for wellness and mutual support, to help those going through the long dark night of cancer. Survivor and caregiver, will have a place to make the journey, a bit easier, a bit brighter.
That's what two of these sims are for. Over in the NW corner will be Our Lodge of Hope, built by our very talented and sweet soul Cassie, and in the NE corner, the future Resource Center, housed in a beautiful Cathedral built, as a dedication to his mother of blessed memory, another amazing builder and equality beautiful soul,, our very own, I'll do anything for tuna, our good friend Benski.
Another dear friend, talented builder and wonderful soul, our very own Cataplexia Numbers will be following shortly, began holding wellness session for us, and I am so delight she offering that wonder piece the big picture puzzle.
Oh by the way, I lost the cover picture to the puzzle, so I don't know that the final picture looks like! So we do need your help. LoL :-P
Later today, not sure were, campfire? Here? At 2pm IWT., Poppy and I would like to invite everyone for a discussion, of what this puzzle picture might look like and whether you might have some of the peices.
If you have been touch by the indiscriminate finger of cancer and are currently fighting or have reached that hard fought day, you get to hear "all clear," please join our RFL of IW survivors and caregivers group in InWorldz.
Last week when I was told I would be talking about this today, the words to this song been floating around me head, words written by Tim McGraw, words I hope you, and pretty sure ?
many of you hold dear,,, "Someday I hope you get the chance To live like you were dying."
Thanks you, thank you all for what you do, thank you hope you create and share openly every day of the year. One World. One Hope. GO Relay!
And now the very lovely and talented, Cataplexia "Cat" Numbers
secondlife:///app/group/c0de14fe-55c4-442c-a1ef-bad3792fa037/about
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cataplexia Numbers
Hello everyone!
My name is Cataplexia Numbers and some of you may know me as a builder
well today, I would like to build with all of you.
In a world where strength comes in numbers and hope comes to those
who have the strength and the vision and the courage to believe....
I would like to build a wall
A wall of people!
- standing strong together,
- leaning on each other,
- picking up each other when we fall
A wall of unity!
- Stretching around the world from every walk of life
- reaching nation upon nation till it reaches us all
- there is strength and strong support in unity!
And most of all, I want to build a wall of HOPE!
- That bends but never breaks
- That offers safe refuge to those who have lost hope
- A wall of people, hopeful for a cure for cancer.
As Relay For Life's Fight Back Ambassador- I offer all of you
MY Strength & Courage to fight
My Prayers to recover
and MY HOPE to find a cure!
I invite all of you, no matter who you are
or where you come from
to join me in this fight!
To give YOUR Strength, Courage , Prayers & Hope
To give your HELP!
Build this wall with me!
Stand tall in our unity and fight!
Stand united in our hope
and stand PROUD
knowing that what we do together
CAN make a difference in so many lives!
I am a cancer survivor
and I want to invite you all
to be survivors too!
Help me build my wall of hope, of strength and of unity!
Help Relay For Life build resources and donations
that will give hope to the hopeless
that will help give courage and comfort
To those who have been stricken with cancer and
to those who have lost loved ones
to this horrible tragic disease
How do we fight?
The biggest enemy of any disease is Knowledge!
Help us raise funds necessary for research into finding a cure for cancer
Help us create resources for the treatment of those who are stricken with Cancer
Help us fund Genomic testing, a strong tool in the prevention of cancer
Help fund the research and development of medications that will help those in need
and...
one of the most valuable tools of knowledge to help fight cancer is to know your body!!
CHECK YOURSELF!
If something on your body such as a mole changes - Have it checked!
If you feel pain somewhere that you did not injure, bang or bruise - Have it checked!
if a bodily function is not working correctly such as a broken urine stream, stools that are too small, painful, too dark or bloody, irregular menses, heavy bleeding - Have it checked!
Check your own body- know what feels "normal" and when something is not right!
Have routine checkups with your physician yearly- Mamograms & papsmears on
time!
If you are sexually active or your pre-teen to adult children are, please have yourself and them tested for the HPV Virus which causes cancer! Wear condoms to protect yourself from this and more!
Ladies, check your breasts for lumps or abnormalities, i promise you wont go blind!
Men check your prostate- your testicles - you wont go blind either!
If something doesn't seem right- HAVE IT CHECKED by your Dr!
My fight was an easy one. My cancer was found in its early stages, and after a hysterectomy there was not a trace left. I am happy to say its been a over a year now, and I remain cancer free, I am thankful every day of my life.
But others are just beginning their fight. My husband Scott here in InWorldz was just diagnosed with cancer. This was discovered during a routine checkup. He had no idea and was only beginning to show symptoms. Many more people around the world are diagnosed every day, but I have hope for them, and hope for my husband.
Hope because people like us will never give up the fight!
Hope because we will not stop until this disease is a tiny blurb in the history books about the monster, cancer, that WE took down! Together! United in HOPE and Strength & Courage!!
Never give up the fight!
Never lose hope!
Stand together and be strong for each other!
This year's Relay For Life of InWorldz is about hope across the world.
May our wall reach that far and grow, ever stronger in the coming years!
I have collected some favorite quotes on Hope:
Hope is the elevating feeling we experience when se see--in the mind's eye--a path to a better future.
JEROME GROOPMAN, The Anatomy of Hope
Hope never abandons you; you abandon it.
GEORGE WEINBERG, Self Creation
Without a minimum of hope, we cannot so much as start the struggle.
PAULO FREIRE, Pedagogy of Hope
Hope is the tiny seed that if tended and kept alive, can blossom into the most beautiful of gardens!
Cataplexia Numbers
I wish to thank all the Relay For Life participants- The Chairs & Co- Chairs past & present, Admin, Builders, Team Leaders & Members, Designers, and countless contributers. Thank you all for continuing the fight!
Thank YOU for keeping hope alive!
* * * * *
After the speeches was an "after party" at the The Stage Of Infinite Hope, with Cataplexia Numbers as the DJ. Yours truly got in at the tail end as it was winding down. Oldesoul would post some pictures of the event (here).
A few months from now will be the InWorldz own Relay Walk. Between then and now, one can check up on events and updates on the RFL in IW on their website: https://rflofiw.org/ .
Go Relay!
Bixyl Shuftan
Wednesday, July 27, 2016
Woodbury in Kitely Grid
By Bixyl Shuftan
Several years ago, there was a place and a group in Second Life known as "Woodbury." Based on a real-life University of the same name, the location and group soon became highly controversial, gaining a reputation for harboring griefers. Nonhuman avatars were reportedly a target of some of the griefers. Eventually, Linden Lab would shut down the sims and ban many of it's members.
Recently Woodbury would come in the spotlight again after it was revealed JP Laszlo/JPizzers, the former leader of the Trump Organization in Second Life, was now calling himself part of the group, I received a tip that the group had a sim in the Kitely Grid, an OpenSim-based virtual world. So I got onto the world, and found a place with the name on the map. And teleporting over, what I saw confirmed that it was the place.
Sims on Kitely are a bit different than on Second Life as they can be one to sixteen "regions" in size, but still count as a single sim. The Woodbury sim was a full-sized sixteen region sim with a mountain in the northeast, and urban building, much of it Soviet-themed. There was a formation of Russian bombers in the air. There was a sign with the logo that had been on JP's Twitter for several days before she took it down, "Make Woodbury Great Again." There were occasional animeish-looking builds of a girl wearing a Russian-military style cap carrying a bag of chips labeled in Japanese and a bottle of soda. In a couple places were towering space rockets. And there were the occasional statues.
I ran into one man while there. He was friendly enough to show me around, asking only that I not throw insults at anyone or otherwise grief the place. In Voice, he explained that they were in the middle of setting up several years worth of Woodbury builds from Second Life, and it would be at least a few more weeks until the place was finished. He called the mountain an "Indiana Jones" style place with plans for dorms inside. Of the various symbols inside, many were "inside jokes," some he had yet to figure out saying he was somewhat new. In one place was one building he called a representation of the real-life Woodbury University.
Because the place was in the middle of being built, many of what was there was in temporary locations, such as one submarine that was in the air. But he did say once it was finished, it would be a mix of themes with no real restrictions on what could be placed by it's members.
So it seems that the group that had been banned by Second Life has found a new home on another Grid. The one who spoke to me stated they've more or less left Second Life behind, not wanting trouble. But considering Woodbury's reputation, many would be skeptical.
Bixyl Shuftan
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