In today’s computer gaming news, learn more about No Man’s Sky has finally reached a new major version, version 4.0, six years after its first release. In light of this, on October 7, Hello Games’ intergalactic playground will launch on the Nintendo Switch. Meanwhile, Activision has declared war on EngineOwning, a German company responsible for widely used Call of Duty hacking tools . A new document has been filed in the California lawsuit that the video game publisher has been pursuing against dozens of named persons, and among the claims is one that may cause some readers to raise an eyebrow: racketeering. Lastly, The video game Fallout: A Post-Nuclear Role-Playing Game was released on October 10, 1997, exactly 25 years ago. To commemorate the game’s silver anniversary, Bethesda will make Fallout 76 free for a week.
No Man’s Sky 4.0 Adds ‘relaxed’ Mode and ‘massively Enlarged’ Inventory
Original Source: No Man’s Sky 4.0 update adds new ‘relaxed’ mode and ‘massively increased’ inventory
Six years after debut, No Man’s Sky is nearing version 4.0. This comes as Hello Games’ galactic sandbox prepares for Nintendo Switch on Oct. 7.
The Switch premiere may not feel earth-shattering to PC fans, but the 4.0 update will bring many changes to No Man’s Sky. This upgrade may not be as spectacular as the addition of living ships, ridable sandworms, or cosmic whales, but there’s a lot to it.
“We’re getting new players, so we want to clean up,” Sean Murray stated last week of the 4.0 release. Hello Games was concerned about how the game will seem to new Switch players and returning PC gamers who may have been away for a time, even years.
Murray: “I see online people saying, ‘I like the game, but it’s overwhelming to come back.'” I want new and returning gamers to remark, “This makes sense. This feels unified and not like fragmented updates.
We dug deep into that. If you return to the game [in 4.0], there’s a log with a tale summary, Murray said. We have an info gateway that will aggregate everything you’ve done so far, everything you’ve unlocked, and offer you more info about it so you can delve in.
Players who feel like they’ve done everything will find new incentive with version 4.0. No Man’s Sky doesn’t have level caps, but it has journey milestones that track alien encounters, combat data, and time on worlds with harsh weather. In 4.0, these milestones were enlarged to provide players more goals. Inventory has been “streamlined” to make it easier for new players, but Murray said it’s “also enormously increased” so players with the maximum storage slots may get more.
“Relaxed” mode in No Man’s Sky 4.0 gives players the sandbox experience with less attention on survival. Murray thinks it will be an excellent option for new players to start with, but he also hopes it appeals to veteran players who “just want to chill out” while still progressing. Relaxed mode lacks the challenge of normal and survivor modes but not creative mode’s unlocks.
“I don’t want to oversell it as a reinterpretation. Murray: It’s a different survival sandbox. Players can transfer saves to the new mode and return if they don’t like it.
Survival mode has been made more difficult. As you became better and leveled up, the game became easier, so we increased the survival factor.
No Man’s Sky 4.0 lets people adjust the game’s equilibrium. “If you want to dial [the challenge] slightly differently, you can do that,” Murray added. “You can balance controls, difficulty, survival, and crafting your way.”
No Man’s Sky update 4.0 will debut for Nintendo Switch on October 7.
Activision Accuses Cheaters With Racketeering
Original Source: Activision slams COD cheatmakers with racketeering charges
Activision has sued the manufacturer of popular Call of Duty hack software, EngineOwning (hereafter EO). The videogame publisher has filed a new document in a California lawsuit against dozens of identified persons. Among the charges: racketeering. Activision accuses EO of breaking the software’s conditions of use, wire fraud, and RICO: a criminal conspiracy.
I’ve read several suits like this over the years, and they’re usually about in-game terms of service being breached or cheating software being unfair competition. Under California law, Activision’s lawyers contend, “Defendants have violated RICO by running and engaging in a racketeering operation.”
These individuals plotted against Activision to sell cheats, the publisher argues, and launched a sophisticated operation to destroy COD. Now Activision wants all the money they’ve made and more.
Activision’s explanation of why this constitutes racketeering reveals how cheat resellers work at scale.
“Enterprise is a well-oiled MLM machine. The defendants sell Cheating Software licenses directly and recruit resellers. A network of seller and reseller Defendants repeated the same actions in marketing, sales, distribution, and support of Cheating Software to several U.S. clients.”
So EO sells hacks, but it also has agents selling them for it (who receive a cut). “The accused follow a series of regulations. Resellers buy Cheating Software licenses in bulk and publicize its selling. After selling bulk product, Reseller Defendants send revenue to the Enterprise while keeping some for themselves.”
Activision’s There have been “thousands” of similar transactions in the US and “thousands more” elsewhere.
Activision’s lawyers cite shell businesses participating in EO before naming individuals, mostly in Germany but also in the US, UK, France, Spain, and the Netherlands. I won’t post all the names because it would be pointless, but there’s some fun to be had with the ‘Doe’ defendants Activision sued but couldn’t identify: “Activision believes and asserts that Big Pile of Poop lives in Europe.”
The three “masterminds and driving force” are Valentin Rick, Leon Schlender, and ‘Croatle’ These people develop the software, website, and money for EO. Regina Rick, Valentin Rick’s mother, provides “administrative, financial, legal, and other consultancy services for the EO Enterprise,” according to the lawsuit.
Basements are off-limits. Activision demands not only damages and costs, but any cheating gains, which will be determined at trial but are expected to be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
It also adds that money isn’t enough: the court must “enjoin and stop” these individuals from engaging in “unfair competition” against Activision. It wants the cheating software shut down, all EO’s software impounded or destroyed, and whatever else it can acquire.
The people behind EO have yet to defend themselves. “Defendants have engaged in a practice of online ‘trolling’ of Activision and its lawyers, such as creating phony accounts in the name of Activision’s counsel or utilizing the names of Activision’s attorneys in their advertising.”
Activision is going all-out for these people, requesting a jury trial. The earlier part of the action addresses the damage that cheating software does to Activision and the COD brand, with the publisher’s lawyers arguing that companies like EO produce bad social media posts and press articles regarding the game’s cheating problem. So it’s wonderful that COD fans whining on Twitter know that someone’s taking notice. The suit also claims “Activision has been able to detect and remove hundreds of thousands of cheating accounts in the COD Games in just over a year.”
The biggest publishers are getting more legal over cheaters and other misconduct in their games. It’s odd, because shady companies have been a part of PC gaming for as long as I can remember: we’ve all seen the commercials and assumed opponent X was aimbotting. As this suit shows, companies like EO aren’t plucky rogues but organized and sophisticated organizations dedicated to undermining another company’s product and other players’ experiences. Is it extortion? To find out.
Fallout 76 is Free to Commemorate a Franchise Birthday
Original Source: Fallout 76 is free this week to celebrate a big series birthday
The video game Fallout: A Post-Nuclear Role-Playing Game was released on October 10, 1997, 25 years ago. That’s a major milestone, so Bethesda is giving Fallout 76 away for a week to celebrate.
Fallout 76 is distinct from the isometric RPG with turn-based combat in the first Fallout. I won’t say which one is “better”—I like old Fallout and new Fallout—but the newest edition of the series, a multiplayer-first-person game that emphasizes action over roleplaying, is a different kind of experience. It was okay at launch, getting a 60% in our 2018 review as “a gorgeously constructed but ultimately repetitious environment,” but it’s gone a long way since, raking up a reported 13 million players so far, and Bethesda released a “five-year blueprint” for the future this year.
The free week of Fallout 76 runs from October 4 to 11. To help newcomers get started, Bethesda will provide a Post-Apocalypse Loyalty Simulator (PALS) questionnaire. Bonuses for Prime Gaming and Xbox Game Pass users, a seasonal event dubbed Invaders From Beyond, and a Twitch anniversary livestream are also planned.
Fallout Shelter will get fresh material for the first time in four years thanks to a new upgrade. Bethesda’s 25th anniversary plans are on fallout25th.com (opens in new tab).
Summary of Today’s Computer Gaming News
Overall, No Man’s Sky is nearing version 4.0, six years after debut. Hello Games’ galaxy sandbox will launch on Nintendo Switch on October 7. No Man’s Sky is coming to Switch, but the 4.0 update will bring updates to all platforms. This update may not be as dramatic as the advent of living ships, rideable sandworms, or cosmic whales, but it’s still big.
On the other hand, Activision has sued the manufacturer of popular Call of Duty hack software, EngineOwning. The video game publisher has filed a new document in a California lawsuit against dozens of identified persons. Among the charges: racketeering. Activision accuses EO of breaking the software’s conditions of use, wire fraud, and RICO: a criminal conspiracy. Activision believes these individuals plotted to sell cheats to harm the COD series. And now Activision wants all the money they’ve made through this, and then some.
Finally, the video game Fallout: A Post-Nuclear Role-Playing Game celebrates its silver anniversary .It is a major milestone, so Fallout 76 will be free for a week to celebrate. Fallout 76 will be free October 4-11. Bethesda will also release a PALS questionnaire to help newcomers pick a faction. Prime Gaming and Xbox Game Pass users will get prizes, a seasonal event called Invaders From Beyond, and a Twitch anniversary livestream on October 7.
