MMORPGs

Battlestate games, developers of Escape from Tarkov, have revealed new details about the game’s in-game skill system, skill upgrades and skills’ influence on gameplay, which are detailed below.

Escape from Tarkov features five skill categories, and each skill upgrade is repetition-based: the more a character performs a certain action – the better he becomes at it. In short, a player’s actions directly influence their character by upgrading the most essential and frequently used skills.

The skill system in Escape from Tarkov is designed to be a bit different from everything what you may have seen so far in the majority of RPG projects, and moreover, it is designed so that it does not interfere with the core gameplay.

In the skills interface, each skill icon features a small colored letter – and all of them have their own meaning.

The digits at the bottom of a skill icon reflect skill level and progress.

So how does a skill upgrade occur? It’s fairly simple – skill upgrades are repetition-based, and, by performing any action, you are gradually upgrading the respective skill or skills, thus making consecutive performance better, quicker and more accurate.

As a result, your character will only improve in the skills that you use during gameplay.

Additionally, on every experience level gained, you will be granted an opportunity to level up one skill at your own discretion.

Click here for more in-game skill system details.

More info on Escape from Tarkov can be found at the game’s official website.

Take your tank to the sea, warship to the Jacuzzi, and shoot pool on the Moon

April Fool’s Day is generally celebrated by playing a good-natured practical joke, an amusing hoax, or, in Wargaming’s case, an entire parade of special in-game events created for its passionate community.

In “Moon Mayhem” (April 1 – 5) World of Tanks PC establishes its first colony on the Moon. Why? Because why not? In this event, you command the latest weapon in spherical tank technology: the IS 8-BALL. In your space-age vehicle, you must knock other commanders on the “Crater” map into one of several billiard-type holes.

Of course, we’re on the Moon, which means less gravity. You’ll find that IS 8-BALL feels a little different than a regular tank. That’s because it’s so smooth. With less friction, various in-game hazards, like Meteor Showers and strange gravitational anomalies, this mode offers an out of this world experience. To play, all you have to do is enter your Garage, choose the IS 8-Ball and click the Battle! button. You will be added to a special queue with other players who have also selected the event vehicle.

April Fool’s Day in World of Warships (March 31—April 11) exchanges the high seas for hot tubs in the special “Ruinberg In Jacuzzi” map. Take charge of the captain’s boat from the animated series “Bad Advice” and battle other players in a not-so-relaxing hot tub. All you have to do is start the game and search your Port for the 4 types of vessels available: the Pokeboat (JP), Botishkaff (RU), Das Boot (DE) and Bottlesheep (US). Choose whichever ship you take a fancy to, then click the Battle! button.

Each ship sports a Fish captain at the helm, stylized with the nation of its ship. When the little boat is bobbing in your port, a 3D model of “Bad Captain” will be visible on the ship. While the captain lacks a bikini, you can hear some of his trademark sounds from the show. Why not stick your toe in the water?

We have something for everyone this April Fools’ Day, so make sure you don’t miss out!

Also, Don’t Miss Exciting New Gameplay Footage, And This Weekend’s First-Ever Twitch Stream

Escape from Tarkov, the upcoming FPS/MMO that has all of the Internet buzzing, is going to show just how flexible the game’s weaponry is in a new video released today. It’s not simply about adding a bigger magazine, or a flashlight, or even a laser sight…no, in Escape from Tarkov, from developer Battlestate Games, it’s about thousands, possibly millions of combinations of tactical weapon add-ons that will take a basic pistol, and make it a handheld war machine of epic proportions.

To show just how incredibly deep Escape from Tarkov’s weapon modding system is, today we’re releasing a new video showcasing various weapons and the available mods. Stocks, magazines, muzzles, barrels, they’re all there for the modding. Along with the video, we have an overview dossier that explains the options available in the modding system. Watch the new video, and see why PC Gamer calls Escape from Tarkov, “The FPS that’s taking weapon customization to absurd heights,” and why the game is on every FPS fans’ wish list.

Battlestate has also released an Escape from Tarkov clip showcasing two minutes of gameplay from the game, if you can’t get enough Escape from Tarkov, this Saturday. Battlestate will be hosting the first ever Twitch stream for the game. Tune in to Twitch this Saturday April 2nd at 11AM Pacific Time (2PM Eastern) to experience even more of this exciting FPS/MMO.

Legendary Naval Fleet Ships And Galleons Deliver The Broadside

Gaijin Entertainment today announced that its award-winning MMO WWII online game, War Thunder, will be introducing legendary sailing ships in its latest update for War Thunder’s ten million players to enjoy.

Available for all players, these historic battleships will take the fight to distant lands and contested waters. The first test-session starts today and will last until the end of the weekend.

Long before the history books documented the modern toil of land and air warfare in tanks and planes, the oceans were ruled by huge battleships decked with cannon and shot.

War Thunder ‘s latest update will introduce British fighting ships from the beginning of the Eighteenth Century with other nations to be added later.

“It’s been a very interesting and challenging task to recreate historic battles of the most powerful sailing nations. We started working on it last year, adding interactive water, and then a few days ago we added interactive weather conditions, which are very important for realistic sailing conditions,” said Gaijin Entertainment CEO Anton Yudintsev. “The weather can change from complete calm to raging storm.”

Like their tank and plane counterparts, War Thunder’s sailing ships will also have their own interactive damage model (no health points). Gaijin Entertainment has taken care in crafting these sailing behemoths to be armored the way they were during their dominance of the oceans of long ago.

Naval battles will be available in the War Thunder Events menu in the game and will be available in Arcade mode. Players will be able to take the rank 1 British ship, the legendary “Golden Hind” galleon and join a battle on the shores of the lost islands. More ships of the Royal Navy and other nations will become available soon.

Information videos:

• Planned Royal Navy line-up
• Interactive weather conditions in War Thunder
• Interactive water effects in War Thunder

To download War Thunder, please visit the official War Thunder website.

Wargaming is excited to reveal further details about the upcoming and action-packed Grand Finals 2016. The crowning event in the World of Tanks eSports calendar will be taking place April 8–9 in Torwar Hall, Warsaw, Poland, and promises to be bigger and better than ever before.

Grand Finals 2016 will begin Friday, April 8, with doors opening at 10:00AM. On day one, spectators can get their first taste of tank action in the group stages. On Saturday, April 9, the battles continue from 12:00PM, featuring the playoffs, quarterfinals, semifinals, and culminating in the show-stopping finale. What’s more, World of Tanks eSports stars will compete in the first ever World of Warships show match.

Inside Torwar Hall will be a Free-to-Play Zone, with 28 gaming stations and VR-headsets. Visitors can play their favorite World of Tanks and World of Warships games and take part in a master class from eSports pros. For the first time players will have a chance to feel the rush of battle watching the action in 360° with their VR-headset. Console tankers will be able to jump into 7-vs-7 competitions, or battle on six additional PlayStation®4 gaming stands.

Visitors can participate in numerous contests at the venue, as well as in social media and streams, snagging themselves lots of cool prizes and gifts from Wargaming and its partners.

Entry to Grand Finals 2016 is absolutely free. Fans can also register for the show and get a special gift: the Premium British Tier 5 heavy tank Excelsior. Registration sessions will be open on March 18 and 25, so fans need to be quick to grab their gift before it’s gone. Also available will be a limited number of VIP tickets. They allow entrance to the venue one hour before everyone else, a fast queuing lane and a dedicated premium seat in front of the action. VIP ticket holders will also receive the Premium British Tier 5 heavy Excelsior, Tier 8 Premium heavy IS-3A, the unique Grand Finals M 41 90 GF tank, and more. Official partners of Grand Finals 2016 are Intel, Razer, PayPal and SanDisc.

For more information on the Wargaming.net League Grand Finals 2016, please visit: www.thegrandfinals.com

For more information about World of Tanks, visit the games official website.

Battlestate Games, the creators of the hardcore online shooter Escape from Tarkov, are happy to reveal the latest package of screenshots showcasing the game locations that change dynamically over the daytime hours. The shots are made in the vicinity of the industrial plant, featuring a wide, open-air territory. This is one of the large scenario locations open to Escape from Tarkov players for exploration, reconnaissance, and combat.

Check out the new screenshots here (Hosted by Worthplaying).

Sign up now for the Beta on the official game website.

Massive Sunderland Flying Boat, Deadly P61 Black Widow, Plus Formidable Ground Armour and New Snow Environment Maps are Incoming!

Gaijin Entertainment today announced that its award-winning MMO WWII online game, War Thunder, will be introducing some impressively sized fire power, new maps and unique vehicles in its forthcoming ‘Battle March’ 1.57 update for War Thunder’s ten million players to enjoy.

War Thunders ‘Battle March’ 1.57 update will introduce more than 20 new aircraft and ground vehicles. Among them – a giant of the skies, the S.25 Sunderland flying boat, one of the largest sea planes to see active duty during WW2. Also joining the War Thunder ranks is the deadly American P61 night fighter, ‘Black Widow’ (otherwise known as the “flying tank”). Further demonstrating its ability to bring a diverse range of vehicles to its combat sim Gaijin Entertainment are also introducing the FW 189 A-1 ‘Uhu’. This unique looking aircraft was known as the ‘flying eye’ due to its reconnaissance role and unique all glass cockpit design. Another exotic plane, the Do 335 heavy fighter, Germany’s fastest piston powered aircraft with two propellers in alignment also makes it into the latest update.

Other additions on offer include the Falcon AA gun which has been created in co-operation with the British tank museum in Bovington due to the rare nature of the vehicle. In total, the British contingent will get three top-tier vehicles of which the Conway tank destroyer and Chieftain Mk.3 main battle tank add armoured muscle to. Germany will have new tracked firepower in the form of the deadly Nashorn and other open-top SPGs. USSR will get armour in the form of the T-44-100 and KV-1S and the USA rolls in with the Super Pershing tank.

Update 1.57 introduces two new map locations, Frozen Pass, a new Alpine snow map available for both aerial and ground battles, and the second map Volokolamsk, based on the real location of the same name in Russia which saw heavy fighting against German forces in the defence of Moscow during winter of 1941.

Finally, lighting effects such as muzzle flashes, launch effects of rockets and explosions of bombs has been vastly updated, which means even more spectacular and realistic battles, especially during nighttime.

To see the full list of new improvements vehicles and features, visit the War Thunder developer’s blog section.

Watch the new ‘Battle March’ 1.57  update video and check out some new screenshots on the official War Thunder website.

By Alex Connolly @ The Wargamer

Heliborne has officially hit Steam Early Access. With the latest patch, I felt it was time to drop the collective, putting skid to pad to see what’s going on with JetCat Games’ tilt for World of Flying Tanks.

Though enthralled by my time in the pre-alpha, the then-minuscule player population offered a sporadic glimpse at what Heliborne was selling. Freshly deployed and on active duty in Early Access, population boom across the three-strong servers – EU, US Central and SE Asia/Oceania, at the time of writing – makes the ten bone purchase argument far more convincing. A full-blown Heliborne match, with its unique sense of territory control, speaks for itself.

If you’re chasing a more detailed look at just what Heliborne is, do have a goosey at our pre-alpha coverage. In a nutshell, this is an excellent use of the modern “World of [insert romantic hardware]“, and perhaps one of the more nuanced of its ilk. Featuring a simucade feel, aiming to capture the revolutionary flexibility and fragility of the war whirlybird, Heliborne is as much a ground game as it is one of the air. It has an intimacy where others don’t. Each sortie an exercise in grazing ridgelines and hugging rivers; dancing between the snarl of AA tracers and coming in hot under rocketry to snatch bases with a bellyload of troops.

Read on…

Upgraded physics and improved sound making tank warfare even more visceral, taking the player experience up a notch

Wargaming is excited to announce today the release of update 9.14 for World of Tanks. This update introduces improved sound and physics, making tank warfare even more visceral, as well as 24 pristine HD models, and a new map for Rampage mode: Ravaged Capital.

Improved physics lets players immerse themselves further into dynamic battles, with vehicles handling more realistically than before. Commanders can master skillfully sharp turns, rapidly changing direction and controlling their tank’s turning radius during movement. In addition, vehicles are now more maneuverable, letting players take full advantage of agile tanks in their arsenal.

Update 9.14 also introduces significantly improved sound. In harnessing the new sound engine, Audiokinetic Wwise, commanders can hear every purr and roar of their steel beast as it roams the battlefield. With sound being processed on a separate core, there are between 10 and 30 distinct sound sources, recorded from authentic vehicles on real proving grounds. When adding enhanced sound effects to orientate players in battle into the mix, as well as original event sounds, and multiple sound presets, World of Tanks adds another layer of authenticity to the gameplay experience.

“The major improvements to sound and physics in update 9.14 have been highly-anticipated by our fans,” said Sergey Laptenok, Publishing Product Director, World of Tanks. “All this was made possible with feedback from players, and we have delivered an experience that brings them closer to the action than ever before.”

Commanders can also look forward to 24 HD models of some of their favorite vehicles. Those who have been battling in the intense Rampage mode can also learn to dominate the new map, Ravaged Capital, which drops players in the heart of Paris’s warzone during World War II.

For more information about World of Tanks, visit the games official website.

Battlestate Games, the creators of hardcore online shooter Escape from Tarkov, today revealed the second in its ongoing series of developer diaries, this one dedicated to the creation of 3D in-game assets and how they are bringing “hardcore realism” to life. The developers describe the process of creating a rich and devastating world – from architectural elements to weapons and characters.

Watch the second Escape from Tarkov developer diary here. (Unless you are an expert Russian speaker, be sure to turn “on closed captioning” and choose “English” in the settings for English subtitles.)