Lots of changes in World of Warcraft

 

Last Wednesday the pre-patch to WoW Shadowlands hit and changed everything. Well, most things anyway. The big level squish hit, dividing character levels with 2.4, the new starting zone Exile's Reach is here, plenty of new character customization options and more.

Some things are still very much missing however, but I really do think they'll be added later. Some of the advertised customization options were not implemented, like being able to choose straight backed trolls and orcs and a few other quality of life things are still missing. Time will tell if and when they'll be added later.

Blizzard did say that leveling your characters will be faster than before, and they were not kidding. At least to me it doesn't really feel that fast, but that is only because my brain doesn't yet understand what the new levels mean. A level 10 is 24 in the old system and a 25 is 60 in the old way. I got my new warrior to 25 in two evenings. It used to take months to get to 60, not two evenings! So yeah, you level up crazy fast, believe me.

I had expected some server issues and Blizzard did not disappoint. On both Wednesday and Thursday evenings it was almost impossible to log in, the queues were that bad, and when the authentication servers got full you got booted just as you were about to log in. Sit in queue, check. Load times, check. Get in, nope – out you go!

These issues are now solved by and large, it just amazes me that after 16 years, Blizzard still hasn't learned to avoid this. Back in '04 it was understandable. Blizzard were new at the whole mmorpg thing, server technology was still pretty raw, there were no where near as many IT-techs as there are now, but still for some reason, the servers seem to be held together with bubblegum and scotch tape.

There is one major thing I want to bring up. For quite a while now, Blizzard has pushed the whole Exile's Reach and straight to Battle for Azeroth (previous expansion) thing. New players don't even get a choice. New and free players must do the Exile's Reach area and then straight to BfA, but I can't see how they are going to make it there.

I sent a level 10 to Kul Tiras, the Alliance part of BfA, and was shocked to find that everything the local vendors sell is level 45! All the food, the potions, everything you could perhaps craft is 45. So unless you play a class that can heal, you are utterly screwed in BfA. You can only equip quest rewards and what happens to drop as loot and you get 0% healing. I had to relog to a character in another part of the game in order to go buy food, which I could send over to my “stranded” alt.

I get Blizzards idea that this is a good story line for new players, and at least Kul Tiras is incredibly pretty and atmospheric, but why have they left everything at the old top levels? This goes for all other expansion areas as well, but the discrepancy between your character and the local consumables isn't that big, and you can choose where to go. You can get supplies elsewhere as long as you are not new. Blizzard, fix this, please!

It may seem that I'm incredibly negative towards the new changes, but I'm not. It really is a lot of fun and the new systems will be good, when they're properly done. But that's enough rambling for now. Join me again next time and until then, have a great and safe week!

An interesting discussion

 

Today I want to talk a bit more about Microsoft buying Zenimax Media, or more specifically Bethesda.

There is nothing concrete as such to mention, there are no new big announcements but that is to be expected.

Last week I tripped over an interview, or actually more of a discussion, headed by Larry “Major Nelson” Hryb, Director of Programming for Xbox Live, (what a title....). In this four-way discussion, he talks to Phil Spencer, the VP of games at Microsoft, and Pete Hines and Todd Howard from Bethesda.

This interview is notable not for what is being said as that is the usual “we're excited to work together” and “great opportunities” blah blah that these things always are. Much like when a big blockbuster is being released, all the actors gush about the director and each other, and nothing substantial is being said. This is natural since they have to say something and they naturally can't talk smack about each other. That just isn't on.

In this vein the video doesn't mention anything dramatic, but it does give some interesting history between Microsoft and Bethesda., going all the way back to Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind. What I also found interesting is their demeanor. Phil seems pleased as he always does, and why not? He is killing it. But both Pete and Todd seem to me to be slightly relieved.

It could be my imagination, of course, I'm neither a psychologist nor a professional interrogator, so my interpretation is purely gut instinct. Add to this that especially Todd has a hell of a poker face, but I'm 95% sure that they are relieved to be working under Microsoft rather than just Zenimax, and if so it would bear out my suspicion that most of the nonsense surrounding Fallout 76 came from the Zenimax bosses and Bethesda was left to clean it up and carry the blame. I could be wrong, but here's hoping...

So, if you’re interested, give the video a look, it's 25 minutes long. Either way, I hope to see you next time and until then, have a great week and stay safe! (wash your hands and wear a mask)

Direct link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WI2IPeocbAA

 

 

 

Dogs

 A bit of a quick one today. Every now and then I find myself with extra things to do and those things like to congregate on Mondays. When I started this blog back in 2012 I should have chosen another day than Mondays to post on, but after all this time what is done is done. If I change now I don't know what'll happen.

So today I present you with a bit of stand up about dogs by Sarah Millican and Bill Burr. Join me again next time for more Eccentric Spheres and until then, have a great week, stay safe and wash your hands!

 Sarah: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBuKcwLh82s

Bill: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQfnbHJ3MrQ

 

Not your average shopping spree

 

Big, no, huge news hit the gaming world last week. Microsoft has bought Zenimax Media for 7.5 billion USD. This includes Bethesda Game Studios and all contained therein.

So what does this mean? Well it means that Microsoft now owns The Elder Scrolls, the Fallout franchise, Id Software and their DOOM and Quake, Arkane Studios and their Dishonored and Prey series, Machine Head and their Wolfenstein games and a bit more.

I for one am not a fan in general of mega-corporations buying up everything in sight, but Microsoft has been incredibly pro-consumer with their gaming division the last couple of years. Their Game Pass for PC and Xbox is great value for money and it seems like they aren't too keen on all the excessive monetization garbage some of the other AAA developers love so much.

So on that front I'm more than willing to give Microsoft the benefit of the doubt and here's why.

Bethesda has changed a lot during the last five years or so. The pay for mods debacle, how Fallout 76 has been managed, constant bait and switch and so on. It is entirely possible that these decisions have come from higher up on the corporate ladder, leaving the folks at Bethesda to weather the storm of angry players. If so, things should get better under Microsoft.

On the other hand, it could be that these anti-consumer ideas originate from Bethesda themselves, and in that case there is the possibility that Microsoft will rein them in.

For me the biggest relief concerns Bethesda's credibility, or lack thereof. When Fallout 76 was being announced they promised (and I don't use that word lightly) many things, and within a year those promises were broken and trampled on.

Pete Hines, their VP of Public Relations and Marketing was later interviewed and he said that they hadn't lied or broken any promises but that “plans had changed.” He likened their decision to start selling items with game changing effects on their in-game store to saying “I said we'd go get pizza on Friday, but then I got sick so, sorry, buddy. Plans change”.

That is not even vaguely comparable, but never mind. What really stuck in my mind was when Bethesda then stated that Fallout 76 was just an experiment and that both the upcoming Starfield and Elder Scrolls 6 are going to be a return to form. How can I trust that statement? How can I believe that they won't change the game six months after release and just say “sorry buddy, plans change”? I can't, that is the sad truth, but under Microsoft I have much greater faith in the future of franchises I love. This is the main reason I'm cautiously happy about this acquisition.

There are also a few other aspects to consider, and the first is the games themselves. As the owner of IP's like say Fallout, there seems to be nothing to stop Microsoft from putting another studio in charge of making a new Fallout game while Bethesda keeps working on Starfield. This could mean more games than once per ten years.

Another aspect is that Microsoft also bought Obsidian Entertainment a couple of years ago. Obsidian are the developers of sequels like Kotor 2 and Fallout New Vegas. Sequels that are arguably better than the originals. Fans immediately began hoping and praying for a New Vegas 2, but I wouldn't hold my breath on that one but it is possible.

Obsidian recently announced a new sandbox open world RPG in their popular Pillars of Eternity world. This game could have been a very serious competitor to Elder Scrolls and now Microsoft owns them both. This could be good or bad, we'll see.

As for the console wars, this could get heated. Bethesda had two games in the pipeline for PC and Playstation; Deathloop and Ghostwire Tokyo. Microsoft has stated that they intend to honor the timed exclusive, but that future games on console will be decided on a “case by case basis”. This could mean that gamers who play exclusively on Playstation will be left out in the cold on future Fallout and Elder Scrolls titles, as there is no reason for Microsoft to release them on their biggest console competitor. Then again, it would not only mean more money but it would be a chance to poke Sony in the eye. Apparently Microsoft has a good working relationship with Nintendo, so it could also mean that they intend to leave the Playstation isolated and alone while Microsoft parties with Nintendo. Time will tell, but it is important to remember that Microsoft is very pro PC if you don't want to own two consoles.

It is far too early to say anything with any kind of certainty but as I said I'm cautiously optimistic and in any case, things likely can't get worse under Microsoft than under Zenimax's old management, can they?

That's that and all that. Join me again next time and until then, have a great week and stay safe!

News time

 

Alright, game news time!

The pre-patch for World of Warcraft Shadowlands is almost upon us. This is the patch that adds the changes to the game that are not bound by owning the new expansion, including access to Battle for Azeroth (the current expansion), new crafting, new character customization options etc.

A background download has been available for a few days now which likely means that the pre-patch could come this week or the next. This is backed up by the fact that Shadowlands is just about a month away for those who intend to buy it or have already bought it.

Exciting times ahead there.

The hugely anticipated game Cyberpunk 2077 is being released on November 19th, and the specs have been released. It looks like they have somehow managed to keep the minimum system requirements incredibly low for such a massive and complex game.

Here is a PCGamer article with the requirements:

https://www.pcgamer.com/cyberpunk-2077-pc-system-requirements/

In other news, the battle between Epic Games and Apple continues. A new hearing is set for the 28^th, and it is going to be interesting. For those not in the know, Epic intentionally broke the Terms of Service with Apple and promptly got kicked off the iOS store. Legal papers quickly started to fly and now it remains to see what will happen. Epic tried to rally the masses in support but they just got mad at Epic instead.

Apple alleges that it was a publicity stunt to raise interest in order to combat falling Fortnite numbers, but Epic claims they are going as strong as ever, while simultaneously whining that this will cause irreparable harm to their product. Go figure... Either way, it seems that Epic Games are loosing around $26 million per month from being kicked off the Apple store. Substantial losses for any company.

In other mixed news, the new GTX 30 series of graphic cards was released and immediately the scalpers grabbed them all using bots to resell at enormous mark-ups. This has of course caused a stir and perhaps one day, scalpers will disappear. I for one hope so, though I'm not holding my breath..

EA is being sued in California in a class action suit with over 100 plaintiffs seeking damages for gambling mechanics.

And finally both the next gen Xbox and Playstation have finally been priced. The PS is $400 for the digital only version and $500 for the version that can read disks. The Xbox series S is $300 and the series X is $500. The tech specs for both machines are easily available so do your research before you buy.

That's that. Join me again next time and until then have a fantastic week and stay safe!

Something to watch

 

It's Monday, so it's time for the spheres to get eccentric!

This week I want to share a few Youtube channels that I find entertaining and even informative. Whether you like them is of course up to you, but do check them out and see for yourself. Now, it is possible that I might have mentioned some of these channels before though I'm reasonably sure I haven't. Sometimes one double dips by accident.

First up we have It's [Redacted]. This channel delves into mysteries of the more conspiratorial kind. In my mind it's not a conspiracy channel as such, it is the mystery that is important. Nice moody videos about things like aliens, UFO's and the Dyatlov Pass. Cool stuff if this is your cup of tea. Spooky and intriguing.

Then we go to the LockPickingLawyer. This man is a master of opening things that are supposed to stay closed. Heavy duty padlocks, safes, and all manners of locks lose in seconds to this guy. I even saw him open a hand-held safe with three combination tumblers using nothing but a sliver of a Red Bull can. Even if you don't care about locks or locksporting, it is fascinating to watch him work.

Next we move on to oddball experiments. TylerTube is a guy in his garage testing stuff out. What happens to different thing left in nasty liquids like drain cleaner in 30 days? How strong are different glues? What does it take to stop a crossbow? These are things Tyler tests and it is a lot of fun to watch.

From a garage in the U.S. we go down under to Australia to the HowRidiculous team. These loud and exited guys love dropping things from a 44 meter (144 feet) tall tower. Things like glass spheres, watermelons, giant steel darts, a 300 kg steel fist, boats... etc. As I said they do get loud but damn if it isn't satisfying to see the stuff fall.

Finally, I want to mention RedLetterMedia. This channel is my latest obsession. A crew of guys with a very serious film collection and snarky wit. They talk movies, they dissect movies and they watch some of the worst stinkers ever distributed on VHS. This last part called Best of the Worst is my favorite. If you ever enjoyed watching a bad movie go and have a look at this channel, it's so worth it.

There it is. Some curated randomly chosen channels for your entertainment. Something to occupy yourself with in these trying times. And as always join me again next time and until then have a great week, stay safe and wash your hands! 

 

Direct links:

It's Redacted: https://www.youtube.com/c/Itsredactedchannel/videos

Lockpickinglawyer: https://www.youtube.com/c/lockpickinglawyer

TylerTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TylerTube/featured

HowRidiculous: https://www.youtube.com/c/howridiculous/videos

RedLetterMedia: https://www.youtube.com/user/RedLetterMedia/featured

 

 

 

 

Inferno

 

This week we are looking at yet another Argento film, but unlike the two previous ones, this one is not a Giallo, but a straight horror movie. Today we're looking at:

Inferno (1980).

It is worth noting that this is a follow up to Argento's probably most famous movie, Suspiria (1977). It's not a sequel, but a continuation of the theme of three witches called the Three Mothers. One character, Rose, discovers that she is living in the very building in New York that was built for the mother of darkness. She calls in her brother who is studying in Rome, and the rest of the film is his investigation into the matter. Insert some murders and gore, add some interesting visuals and you have Inferno.

If you haven't seen it, this movie is worth a look. In a discussion with a learned friend I mentioned that Inferno almost looks like a Roger Corman movie, which he confirmed was no accident as Argento was a huge fan and intended for Inferno to be a bit of a homage.

This really shows as the entire movie is drowning in rich dramatic color. So much in fact that it almost becomes distracting at times.

The plot is kind of all over the place. Some things are over-explained while other things are never explained at all. This creates a slight disconnect and it's easy to phase out and just take in the visuals and the atmosphere without really getting the story. Try to resist zoning out as the story is interesting though not ground breaking.

Unlike films like Deep Red and Bird with the Crystal Plumage, this is not a mystery movie, so the plot is not meant to be solvable by the audience, this means that if you want to watch it, sit back and enjoy and never mind the plot-holes. Like Suspiria, Inferno is designed to be dreamlike and akin to a fairy tale so things don't have to make perfect sense, no matter how much you want them to.

What struck me personally is that I didn't enjoy it as much as I used to back in the day. It was one of my favorite Argento movies, but these days I definitely enjoy his Giallo movies more. Then again I'm quite a but older than I was the last time I saw Inferno.

In conclusion, I would say that Inferno is almost essential viewing if you want to take in the best of Italian horror. How highly you rate it is completely up to you, but I urge you to see it if you liked Suspiria, or if you enjoy surreal horror. It's not a masterpiece as such but a solid nightmare horror movie and should be watched as such.

That's that. Join me again next time and until then have a great week! Oh, and wash your hands.